Amber wears a deserted look

Rachna Singh, TNN 20 August 2009, 02:53am IST

JAIPUR: Touched by modernity and convenience, the Amber Fort not just a historical monument in isolation. Hundreds of tourists, foreign as well as domestic, flock the edifice every day to feel the royal elegance of the past. But the fort wore an eerie look on Wednesday noon.

After the Rajasthan High Court banned all commercial activity in the fort premises, officials of archaeology and museum department reached there early in the day and ensured that all shops, commercial establishments and artisans were served notices to shut shops till further orders.

The fort wore a deserted, drab look without the usual hustle bustle around the shops, tourists sipping a cup of coffee at the cafe, children picking up on history with chip packs and artisans displaying their vibrant wares.

Even the courtyard dedicated to the award-winning artisans, for whom this was the sole means of survival, was totally abandoned. With even the stalls selling water and cold drinks shut, tourists, mostly domestic, had to face a lot of problems in the sultry weather.

Walking down the almost deserted alleys, historicity of the monument seemed a little less relevant to the tourists weary of the climb. Most of them after a round of the fort wore a disappointed look when halting at the stall as they were told by the guards that they would have to fetch water from the courtyard at the entrance.

"The tourists are facing a lot of problems. Every time they want water or the children demand a packet of chips, they have to go down all the way. Since there are specific points for entry and exit, visitors to the fort are not allowed to go back even if they are not very deep into the fort," said Sunil, a guide escorting a family from Varanasi.

And once they move out from the exit alley, when they need to come in they are not allowed unless they buy a ticket again. Rather than inside the fort, tourists could be seen hovering around the water cooler and the facilities resting under the tree where the unauthorised vendors make a quick buck selling books and souvenirs.

According to Zafar Ullah Khan, superintendent of the fort, "Commercial activities have been going on in the fort for the last 25 years after they were allowed under Sections 6 and 8 of Rajasthan Monuments, Archaeological Sites and Antiquities Rules, 1968."

Besides, there are 19 state and ASI protected monuments all over the country, including the Red Fort, Safdarjung Fort and Lodhi, where restaurants, souvenir and flower shops are allowed to be run.

"Now tourists on board the Palace-on-Wheels, which had just signed up for lunch at the historical monument for a special ambience, will also have to look for an alternate venue," said Manjit Singh, CMD of Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC).

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