92,000 Tourists visit district in three days

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

Christmas holidays have led to record-breaking tourist crowds at all major sites in the district. Over the past three days, more than 92,000 tourists visited various destinations, with the highest footfall recorded at the Ellora Caves, followed by the Ajanta Caves.

Ellora Caves, Ajanta Caves, the Taj of the Deccan- Bibi ka Maqbara, Daulatabad (Deogiri) Fort and the Buddhist Caves have been bustling with visitors since Thursday. ASI officials, including conservation assistants Sanjay Rohnkar at Bibi ka Maqbara, Rajesh Waklekar at Ellora Caves, and Manoj Pawar at Ajanta Caves, managed planning efforts in response to the surge in visitors.

At Ajanta Caves, the influx overwhelmed the available ST buses. Throughout the day, 21 buses transported between 8,000 and 9,000 tourists to and from the site. The rush forced visitors to wait for one to two hours in long queues.

During the three-day period, Ellora Caves recorded 11,000 visitors on 25 December, 13,000 on 26 December, and 14,000 on 27 December.

At Ajanta Caves, 7,000 tourists visited on 25 December, 6,856 on 26 December, and 9,000 on 27 December.

Bibi ka Maqbara registered 6,200 visitors on 25 December, 6,270 on 26 December, and 5,621 on 27 December.

Daulatabad (Deogiri) Fort saw footfalls of 4,206 on 25 December, 3,907 on 26 December, and 5,507 on 27 December.

Need to improve bus service

"During our visit to Ajanta Caves on Friday, we experienced poor transport management. We had to stand in a queue for two to two-and-a-half hours. Despite paying for AC bus service, there were no facilities. This mismanagement caused inconvenience to women, children, senior citizens and school students. Even with expected crowds, adequate buses were not arranged, leading to widespread frustration. The administration must take immediate corrective action."

— Kiran Bansode, tourist

Buses increased as per crowd

"On Friday and Saturday, 21 buses were operated at Ajanta Caves. On regular days, five to six buses run. The number of buses will be increased based on tourist footfall."

— Manish Jawlekar, depot manager, Soygaon

Photo captions:

tourists waiting in long queues for buses in the Ajanta Caves area.

Ajanta caves bustling with a heavy rush of tourists.