A day after the verdict ruled in favour of building a grand Ram Temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya, the mayor of the town, Rishikesh Upadhyay has revealed majestic plans for the beautification of the city. In an exclusive interview with Zee Media, Upadhyay has unveiled a detailed roadmap for the beautification of the town.
“The ancient city of Ayodhya will be transformed into a major pilgrimage centre. An Ayodhya Pilgrimage Development Council will be established that will be responsible for developing the city with the state-of-the-art modern infrastructure to promote tourism and connectivity,” Upadhyay said.
Divulging the details of the modernisation plans envisaged, Upadhyay said that a 151-metre tall statue of Lord Ram will be installed on the banks of river Saryu river in Ayodhya. In addition, a Ram Museum in the city is also envisioned where house artefacts and antiquities that were found by the ASI in their excavations will be kept for display.
Recently, the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh had released funds worth Rs 441 crores for the construction of the Ram statue, which is slated to be the world’s tallest.
Read: Yogi Adityanath government allocates Rs 447 crores for 221-metre tall Ram statue in Ayodhya
With the Supreme Court verdict paving the way for the construction of a magnificent Ram Temple, the government is planning to develop the city of Ayodhya as a major cultural and religious centre that will attract tourists from all over the world.
Besides, the railway station of Ayodhya will be beautified on the lines of the Ram Temple with the investment of Rs 100 crores. An airport in the ancient town of Ayodhya is also envisioned by the government. They have homed in on May 2020 as the deadline for starting first flight to and from Ayodhya. The Bus stand in Ayodhya will be built according to the international standards with state-of-art facilities.
The Yogi government has indeed been focusing on Ayodhya as a major hub for religious pilgrimage, and culture. Since 2017, the UP government has been organising grand Diwali celebrations in the city.
Read: Ayodhya’s grand Deepotsav finds spot in the Guinness Book of World Records
Ten 5-star hotels will be coming up in Ayodhya, whose construction will commence in December. Proposal for construction of 5 world-class resorts in Ayodhya is also floated with the concerned authorities. All major public-spots and parks in Ayodhya will be gentrified to boost tourism. A proposal for medical college, provision for under-ground cabling is also conceived.
The government plans to come up with a ”Raen Basera” which can accommodate 10,000 people. Connecting India with Ramayan circuit, a 4-lane road between Ayodhya to Chitrakoot, Installing ten gates dedicated to Lord Ram in Ayodhya, Setting up of Ayodhya Pilgrimage Development Council and the construction of a 5-km long flyover connecting Ayodhya with Faizabad are some of the important points of the development roadmap shared by the Ayodhya Mayor.
Read: Indian Railways to introduce Shri Ramayana Express, tracing Lord Ram’s epic journey
The Supreme Court pronounced the much-awaited verdict in the protracted Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute case, handing over the disputed land to the central government for the development of a grand temple dedicated to Lord Ram. The Hindus have maintained that the disputed land in Ayodhya was the birthplace of Lord Ram, on which Mughal general Mir Baqi built a mosque in consonance with Babur. The apex court had granted 5-acres of land elsewhere to the Sunni Waqf Board on which they can build a mosque.
