The strategy involves clubbing the various monuments in Agra and Fatehpur Sikri, 40 km from here, with Vrindavan as a combined tourist circuit and augment tourism infrastructure in the area to ensure that visitors stay for longer duration.

``Poor awareness about the place, coupled with lack of infrastructure facilities means tourists prefer to come in the morning and are off by evening, which causes loss to the state and industry and artisans of the area,'' Singh said.

Awareness about the Agra fort and monuments at Fatehpur Sikri, which include the `bulanddarwaza' and the dargah (shrine) of Sheikh Salim Chisti besides the fort, is very low even among Indian tourists, he said.The state government is undertaking major initiatives to increase the duration of stay of tourists in the city and promote the tourism circuit, the tourism secretary said.

The tourism department has been conducting Taj mahotsava each year. The 10-day festival, aimed at a ``sangam of culture, cuisine and handicrafts'', was held here from February 18-27 and generated business worth about Rs one crore this year, Singh said.

The mahotsava has been gaining popularity over the years as witnessed in the sharp increase in visitors which rose from 28,000 in 1992 to over 3,00,000 this year, he added.The state government has decided to undertake a major facelift of the venue of the mahotsava `shilpgram' spread over 11 acres near the Taj by including a museum, heritage and interpretation centre, auditorium and an open air theatre in the complex, Singh said.

It is seeking cooperation fromprivate parties to jointly develop the facilities, he said.The Taj Mahal would soon be opened for night viewing with the Central Government giving the nod `in principle' to the state government's proposal.Night viewing of the Taj had been stopped in 1984 after Operation Bluestar due to security threat. The Saxena Committee has also recommended opening of the monument during nights subject to adequate security including uninterrupted power supply and sniffer dogs. The state would set up a tourism police to ensure visitors are not troubled by touts and photographers, besides maintaining peace and security of the monuments, he said.

The state is laying major emphasis on environment protection to ensure the health of the monuments in the 10,000 square km `taj trapezium', Agra development commissioner R K Gaur said.