No drones in 500 m radius of Taj Mahal; tourism police to spread awareness

Agra’s tourism police is now planning to spread awareness among visitors about local laws, which prohibit flying drones within 500 m of the Taj Mahal. This comes in the wake of recurrent incidents of drones being spotted in the no-flying zone around the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Other than the famous monument, there are other tourist areas like the Agra Fort, Mehtab Bagh, and the Mughal-era mausoleum that are covered under the no-flying zones. As of now, Taj Security Circle Officer said that they have asked the hoteliers in Agra to make arrangements to brief the visitors about the no-flying zone law around Taj Mahal. The tourism police will also circulate pamphlets and install warning signs of the prohibition order in five different languages, including Russian, Chinese, Korean, Hindi, and English. Latest reports suggest that visitors from Korea, Russia, China, Hindi, and English have been found involved in violating the above-mentioned laws. In fact, five Russians were recently detained for attempting to fly a drone in the no-flying zone, and were subsequently released after they submitted a written apology.

Referring to this, an official from the Archaeological Survey of India stated that a 52-sec animation film, which educates people about dos and don’ts in Taj Mahal, will be played at the entry points of the monument.
In addition to this, visuals have also been put up to informs tourists that arms, ammunition, and drones are strictly prohibited inside the monument.