Aurangabad, Dec 29 (PTI) A fleet of 20 battery-operated vehicles will be made available for tourists at the world famous Ellora caves here in Maharashtra from February next year, a senior official of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) said on Wednesday.
The caves are spread over 2.2 km and tourists have to walk to view these rock-cut structures.
For the convenience of the visitors, the ASI has issued an expression of interest to run battery-operated vehicles in the cave complex premises, ASI Superintendent, Aurangabad circle, Milan Kumar Chauley told PTI.
“There will 20 battery-operated vehicles in the premises to ferry visitors throughout the day. We have also proposed five temporary sheds for tourists at various locations which will also serve as the stops for these vehicles,” he said.
The official said they wanted these vehicles to be operational by January 1, 2022, but it will take about a month more because of technical issues.
“There will be five air-conditioned and 15 non-AC vehicles with a seating capacity of seven and 15, respectively. A tourist needs to buy a separate ticket to avail this facility and the ticket will be valid for the entire day. The ticket will cost Rs 30 to Rs 40,” another official said.
A demo will be held in about a week which will help the operator to decide which type of vehicle is suitable for the location in view of its topography, he said.
“We shall give the operator a dedicated space which will act as a bay for these vehicles at the entry point. The parking of these vehicles after working hours and the charging station will be managed by the operator outside the monument premises,” Chauley said. PTI AW GK GK
This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.