New Delhi : In view of the prevailing COVID-19 situation, ASI monuments having places of worship will remain shut in Jammu and Kashmir despite nod from the central government to reopen them from Monday, officials said.
In an order issued on Sunday, the Union Culture Ministry approved reopening of 820 Archeological Survey of India (ASI) protected monuments which have places of worship from June 08, but allowed local authorities in the states to take the final call depending on the situation on the ground.
However today the officials said around 65 such monuments in Maharashtra, 28 in Rajasthan, 46 in Odisha, 75 in Tamil Nadu and nine in Jammu and Kashmir will remain closed due to the prevailing coronavirus situation.
The authorities in Agra have decided that all the 14 monuments, listed by the Culture Ministry to be opened in the city from June 08, will remain shut. While the ministry had given its nod to the reopening of three places of worship near and in Taj Mahal premises — the Fatehpuri Masjid on the south-west corner of Taj Mahal’s entrance, the mosque inside its complex and the Kali Masjid near it — the district authorities in a meeting on Sunday decided against it.
The local administration in these states and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir have informed the ASI offices there on the decision to keep the monuments shut, the officials said.
They said in Odisha, where the lockdown is till June 30, popular places of worship that will remain shut are the Jagannath Temple in Puri, Lingaraj, Mukteswar, Ananta Vasudev and other ancient Shaiva centres, 64 Yogini Pitha at Heerapur and Kapilash Pitha in Dhenkanal will stay shut till then at least.
Local authorities in the states and the UT of J&K have also told ASI officials that since the pandemic is still not contained, they did not feel the need to reopen these sites as very few are expected to come.
In Delhi, Friday prayers would be allowed in the Qutub archaeological area and at Afsah-wala-ki Masjid outside the west gate of Humayun’s Tomb, the list said.
All the 3,691 centrally-protected monuments and archaeological sites maintained by the ASI were shut from March 17 due to the coronavirus crisis.
