Here's some good news for mothers visiting the iconic Taj Mahal: an air-conditioned baby feeding room will be opened at the premise on Thursday.
The Taj Mahal, with an average of 22,000 daily visitors, is a major hotspot for Indian and international tourists. Earlier this year, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had announced to build a breastfeeding room as a relief to female visitors.
The nursing room at Taj Mahal will be inaugurated by Union Culture Minister Prahlad Singh Patel on Thursday.
"It is the first baby feeding room to open at any Indian monument," Vasant Kumar Swarnkar, Superintending Archeologist at ASI, told IANS.
"It's a 12-by-12 feet room within the Taj Mahal campus. It has a diaper-changing table, sofa sets specially designed so one can feed her baby, and there is also rubber flooring. One woman employee will be there to assist the mothers. The room will allow privacy to breastfeeding mothers and is very important," he said.
The nursing room at Taj Mahal could be the first of a series of such centres at other monuments.
An ASI official said a similar baby feeding room is getting ready at the Agra Fort, and within a month, another such centre could come up at Fatehpur Sikri monuments.