Ayodhya gears up for 3-day temple rituals

LUCKNOW: Hindu religious figures in Ayodhya plan to organise three days of rituals starting on August 3 and ending with bhumi pujan on August 5 that will mark the start of construction of a Ram temple in the holy town. Prime Minister Narendra Modi may lay the foundation stone for the temple, the religious figures said.

“Timings for foundation laying ceremony for the Prime Minister have been decided according to Hindu calendar, and the most auspicious time [12.15pm] on August 5 has been selected,” said Mahant Kamal Nayan Das, heir to Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, chairman of the Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which has been formed to oversee the temple construction.

An official communication from the Prime Minister’s Office is yet to be released, he added.

Mahant Nritya Gopal Das will donate a 40 kg silver brick for the bhumi pujan and PM Modi is likely to use it for the foundation laying ceremony, Vishwa Hindu Parishad regional spokesperson Sharad Sharma said.

Ram temple construction committee chairman Nripendra Misra, who is also considered the PMO’S emissary on Ayodhya, was in the temple town for three days ahead of what could be Modi’s maiden visit to Ayodhya. Misra reached Ayodhya late on July 15 evening and left on Sunday morning.

NEW DELHI: The national capital received its first spell of heavy rains on Sunday which led to waterlogging in low-lying areas and brought traffic to a standstill at key stretches in the city.

A 56-year-old man died allegedly due to drowning after his mini-truck submerged under the city’s Minto Bridge.

According to the Delhi Traffic Police, jams were reported from Azadpur to Mukarba Chowk,

Yashwant Place to Ashoka Road, at Ring Road, Bhairon Road, and near Mundka metro station due to heavy waterlogging.

The driver and the conductor of a bus that got stuck at the Minto Bridge underpass due to waterlogging were rescued by fire department personnel, officials said. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative figures for the city, recorded 74.8 mm rainfall till 8:30 am.

Rainfall below 15 mm is considered light, between 15 mm and 64.5 mm moderate, and above 64.5 mm heavy, according to the IMD.

A political controversy broke out soon after residents started sharing photos and videos of the waterlogged streets and reports of the truck driver’s death started doing the rounds.