Bhubaneswar: There was chaos, confusion and commotion at the iconic Sun Temple in Konark on Tuesday. Thousands of visitors entered the Konark Sun Temple on Tuesday after a computerized ticketing system at the entrance of the popular tourist destination faced a technical snag. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the custodian of the state’s major tourist attractions, said such disturbances occurred due to heavy crowds and inadequate security arrangements by the police.
Thousands of tourists queued up to get entry tickets to the iconic heritage site on Tuesday, sources said. But the ticket could not be issued due to some technical glitch. Losing their patience due to the delay, the angry mob forcibly entered the Sun Temple premises, pushing back the security personnel and staff of the ASI. Many tourists were seen jumping boundary wall and to enter through security bars Sun Temple Complex,
“Technical faults can happen in the machines at any time. We encountered this technical problem for the first time e-ticketing system Started at Konark Sun Temple. But there were many other means of making tickets but there were so many crowds before steps were taken to manage them,” said Arun Malik, superintending archaeologist, ASI, Bhubaneswar.
More than 10,000 visitors thronged the tourist spot on Tuesday due to a queue of more than two kms. The computerized ticketing system’s server broke down around 10.15 am, forcing people to wait for nearly an hour.
The police system at the entrance was poor in comparison to the huge crowd, Malik said. “The law and order at the site was managed by the local police and administration. We have very limited staff to control the crowd. I have already spoken to the police and the local administration to improve the security arrangements at the site of the incident so that such incidents do not happen again in future.
Tourists from across the state also expressed their disappointment over the crowd management system at one of the most popular tourist destinations in the state. “The Sun Temple in Konark is undoubtedly the most visited tourist destination of Odisha. If this is the kind of management and facilities in the peak tourism season, then how can the state claim to give the best tourism experience to the tourists? Sutapa Sengupta, a tourist said West Bengal,
Thousands of tourists queued up to get entry tickets to the iconic heritage site on Tuesday, sources said. But the ticket could not be issued due to some technical glitch. Losing their patience due to the delay, the angry mob forcibly entered the Sun Temple premises, pushing back the security personnel and staff of the ASI. Many tourists were seen jumping boundary wall and to enter through security bars Sun Temple Complex,
“Technical faults can happen in the machines at any time. We encountered this technical problem for the first time e-ticketing system Started at Konark Sun Temple. But there were many other means of making tickets but there were so many crowds before steps were taken to manage them,” said Arun Malik, superintending archaeologist, ASI, Bhubaneswar.
More than 10,000 visitors thronged the tourist spot on Tuesday due to a queue of more than two kms. The computerized ticketing system’s server broke down around 10.15 am, forcing people to wait for nearly an hour.
The police system at the entrance was poor in comparison to the huge crowd, Malik said. “The law and order at the site was managed by the local police and administration. We have very limited staff to control the crowd. I have already spoken to the police and the local administration to improve the security arrangements at the site of the incident so that such incidents do not happen again in future.
Tourists from across the state also expressed their disappointment over the crowd management system at one of the most popular tourist destinations in the state. “The Sun Temple in Konark is undoubtedly the most visited tourist destination of Odisha. If this is the kind of management and facilities in the peak tourism season, then how can the state claim to give the best tourism experience to the tourists? Sutapa Sengupta, a tourist said West Bengal,
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