Ram temple trust seeks PMO approval for bhumi pujan

LUCKNOW: The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust on Saturday forwarded tentative dates for Ayodhya temple’s bhumi pujan to the Prime Minister for a final decision. This came after a meeting of the Trust earlier in the day.

“Tentative dates for bhumi pujan of Ram temple have been forwarded to the PMO. A final decision will be taken by PMO after considering the prevailing situation in the country,” Champat Rai, general secretary of the trust, said to reporters after the meeting in Ayodhya.

“Trust president Nritya Gopal Das has (already) written to PMO inviting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ‘bhumi pujan’. It is up to PMO to finalise the date of Prime Minister’s visit,” he said.another Trust member, Kameshwar Chaupal, said August 3 and 5 were the dates suggested to PMO. The PM had announced the formation of the Trust on February 5.

Rai said, “A maximum of three to three-and-half years will be required for construction of the Ram temple. Larsen and Toubro is carrying out testing of the soil from 60 metres below the ground (at Ram Janmabhoomi).”

While 11 of the 15 trust members were present, the remaining four attended the meeting via video link. Nripendra Misra, chairman of Ram Mandir Construction Committee, was also present at the meeting. The other prominent participants included Trust chairman Mahant Nritya Gopal Das and Ayodhya district magistrate Anuj Jha.

The Trust also decided to make some changes to the existing temple model. The proposed temple’s height will be increased from 128 feet to 161 feet and it will have five domes instead of three, said Trust member Chaupal.