Entry to all ASI sites to be free on International Museum Day tomorrow
New Delhi, May 17 (PTI): Entry to all sites and museums under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) across the country will be free on Sunday in view of the International Museum Day.
There are 3,698 protected monuments and sites, and 52 museums under the ambit of the ASI.
"The ASI is pleased to announce that entry to all ASI monuments and museums across the country will be free on May 18, on the occasion of International Museum Day," the Culture Ministry said in a statement.
The International Museum Day highlights the vital role that museums play in preserving cultural heritage, promoting education, and fostering dialogue across communities and generations.
This year to encourage wider public participation, the ASI is offering free access to its network of 52 site museums and all ticketed monuments across the country, which house some of India's most treasured archaeological artefacts, from prehistoric tools and sculptures to medieval inscriptions, and more, the statement said.
"This initiative seeks to deepen public engagement with India's rich cultural legacy and to provide a meaningful platform for people to reconnect with history and heritage," it said.
The ASI also has a dedicated Museum Wing which deals with maintenance and management of its site museums, which includes one at Sarnath site (1910) being the earliest in the series of archaeological site museums located across the country, the ministry said.
The concept of archaeological site museums sought to preserve and display the excavated and movable artefacts near the site so that the displayed objects don't lose its context and may be studied by researchers and visitors alike while visiting the site, it said.
Recently, India's first underground museum at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Humayun's Tomb was inaugurated, along with the Virtual Experiential Museum at Man Mahal Observatory, Varanasi and Archaeological site of Lalitagiri at Odisha, the ministry added.
ASI site museums are being upgraded to facilitate the need of every section of the society, and with modern interventions like AR-VR (augmented reality-virtual reality) also being incorporated to give visitors a holistic experience, officials said.
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Strict security measures in place in Mumbai for Messi's events at 2 venues Dec 14, say police
Mumbai (PTI): In view of Argentine superstar footballer Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai on Sunday, the city police are implementing stringent security measures, like not allowing water bottles, metals, coins inside the stadiums and setting up watchtowers to keep an eye on the crowd, officials said.
The police also said taking extra care to avoid any stampede-like situation and to prevent recurrence of the chaotic situation that unfolded in Kolkata during Messi's visit on Saturday as thousands of fans protested inside the Salt Lake stadium here after failing to catch a clear glimpse of the football icon despite paying hefty sums for tickets.
Messi is expected to be present at the Cricket Club of India (Brabourne Stadium) in Mumbai on Sunday for a Padel GOAT Cup event followed by attending a celebrity football match. He is expected to proceed to the Wankhede Stadium for the GOAT India Tour main event around 5 pm.
"In view of Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai, the police are geared up and have put in place a high level of security arrangements in and around the stadiums located in south Mumbai. Considering the chaos that prevailed in Kolkata and the security breach, we have deployed World Cup-level security arrangements at Brabourne and Wankhede stadiums," an official said.
Expecting heavy crowd near the stadiums during Messi's visit, the city police force has deployed more than 2,000 of its personnel near and around both the venues, he said.
As the Mumbai police have the experience of security 'bandobast' during the victory parade of ICC World Cup-winning Indian team and World Cup final match at the Wankhede Stadium, in which over one lakh cricket fans had gathered, we are prepared to handle a large crowd of fans, he said.
"We are trying to avoid the errors that occurred in the past," the official said.
There is no place to sneak inside the stadiums in Mumbai like the Kolkata stadium, according to him.
The police are also asking the organisers to provide all the required facilities to the fans inside the stadium, so that there will be no chaos, he said, adding the spectators have purchased tickets in the range of Rs 5,000 to 25,000. After paying so much of amount, any spectator expects proper services, while enjoying the event, he said.
The police are expecting 33,000 spectators at the Wankhede Stadium and over 4,000 at Brabourne Stadium. Besides this, more than 30,000 people are expected outside and around the stadiums just to have a glimpse of the football sensation, he said.
The organisers responsible for Messi's India visit recently came to Mumbai to discuss security arrangements. During the meeting, the Mumbai police asked them not to take the event lightly, according to the official.
After those requirements were fulfilled, the final security deployment was chalked out, he said.
Police has the standard procedure of the security arrangements inside the Wankhede Stadium, where people are barred from taking water bottles, metals objects, coins. Police are setting up watch towers near the stadiums and there will be traffic diversions, so that there is maximum space available to stand, according to the official.
Police are also appealing to the spectators to use public transport service for commuting and avoid personal vehicles to reach south Mumbai.
To avoid any stampede-like situation, police are also taking precautionary measures and will stop the fans some distance ahead of the stadium and public announcement systems will be used to guide the crowd. Barricades will be placed at various places to manage the crowd.
In case the crowd swells up beyond expectation, the police will divert people to other grounds and preparations in this regard underway, he said.
Additional police force has been deployed in south Mumbai to tackle any kind of situation, he said.
