Ajanta, Ellora caves reopen; online tickets, vaccination must for visitors
Aurangabad (PTI): The world famous Ajanta and Ellora caves and various other monuments reopened here in Maharashtra on Wednesday after being shut for about three weeks in the wake of a surge in COVID-19 cases, an official said.
Online purchase of tickets and full vaccination are mandatory for visitors, the Archaeological Survey of India's (ASI) Aurangabad circle superintendent Dr Milan Kumar Chauley told PTI.
The monuments were closed on January 8 due to the rise in COVID-19 cases.
The district administration has now allowed the monuments to reopen.
While there is no restriction on the number of visitors as of now, physical tickets will not be available and only those who have taken both the doses of vaccine against COVID-19 will be allowed to enter the tourist sites, the ASI official said.
Apart from the Ajanta and Ellora caves, the other prominent tourist attractions here are the Daulatabad (Devgiri) Fort, Aurangabad caves and Bibi ka Maqbara.
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Thumbay Group begins work on Sharjah’s first private integrated psychiatric, rehabilitation hospital
Sharjah: Thumbay Group has laid the foundation stone for the Thumbay Psychiatric and Rehabilitation Hospital at Sharjah Healthcare City, a 120-bed facility that the company says will be the region’s first private, fully integrated hospital dedicated to psychiatric care, neuro-rehabilitation and addiction recovery.
The groundbreaking ceremony was led by Dr. Abdelaziz Saeed Al Mheiri, who is also a member of the Sharjah Executive Council, in the presence of Dr. Thumbay Moideen.
Spread across 110,000 square feet, the hospital is being developed to address growing demand for specialised mental health and rehabilitation services in the UAE and the wider Gulf region.
The facility will include inpatient and outpatient services in psychiatry, neuro-rehabilitation, addiction treatment, child and adolescent mental health, and care for mood and anxiety disorders. It will also feature VIP inpatient villas designed to provide privacy and support long-term recovery.
A mosque, named the Thumbay Masjid, will be constructed within the campus and will be open to the public.
The hospital is being designed to meet standards for Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), an internationally recognised accreditation system for rehabilitation facilities.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Abdelaziz Saeed Al Mheiri said the project reflects Sharjah’s commitment to strengthening healthcare infrastructure in all aspects of wellbeing.
“Mental health and rehabilitation have long needed dedicated infrastructure, and we are proud to support a private partner whose vision matches the ambition of this Emirate,” he said.
Dr. Thumbay Moideen said the project was a response to a growing need for specialised mental healthcare services in the region.
“We have spent over three decades building healthcare in this region, and the one conversation that has grown louder every year is mental health. Families have been carrying this quietly for too long. This hospital is our answer. It is purpose-built, not retrofitted, and it has been designed around dignity, recovery, and outcomes that families can trust,” he said.
Construction is scheduled to begin in June 2026, and the hospital is expected to become operational by mid-2027.
Once completed, the facility will become part of Thumbay Group’s network of healthcare, education and diagnostic institutions across the UAE.
