With Yogi at helm, change on track in Ayodhya
LUCKNOW: For years, life moved at a slow pace in Ayodhya. But the advent of the Yogi government seemed to pull the ancient pilgrim town out of its languor with the promise of development.
Yogi Adityanath became the first chief minister in last 15 years to visit Ayodhya in May last. Soon, the town’s civic status got an upgrade and Ayodhya became a separate municipal corporation. The newly constituted Ayodhya Municipal Corporation (AMC) incorporates Faizabad district.
Again, the spotlight was on Ayodhya when the saffron clad CM and governor Ram Naik participated in grand Diwali celebrations in the temple town on October 18 last year. Ministers were part of the CM’s entourage as they celebrated Divya Deepotsav in Ayodhya on Diwali eve.
With the BJP in power in New Delhi and Lucknow, the Central and state governments have showered projects on the town. With a Rs 133 crore package for Ayodhya announced by the Centre, the Yogi government has plans to transform the city. The CM laid the foundation stone of the project on January 24 on UP Diwas.
Tenders have been invited for various works to be executed under this plan that will transform the town.
The package was announced by the Modi government after the BJP came to power at the Centre. But the project got delayed due to lack of coordination between the Centre and the then Samajwadi Party government in the state.
“It was after BJP came to power in the state that things started moving in the right direction. Earlier, everything was stuck,” said Ved Prakash Gupta, BJP MLA from Ayodhya.
The railways ministry’s project for makeover of the Ayodhya’s railway stations seems to have gathered pace. Tenders have been invited for Rs 80-crore project and work is expected to start soon.
The union power ministry is implementing an ambitious two-phase project to move the overhead power cables underground.
For the first phase of the project, Rs 52 crore has been assigned and nearly 70% of the work has been executed. For the second phase of the project, Rs 70 crore has been approved.
The daily Saryu aarti on riverbank is now on the priority list of the Yogi government. It has become main attraction for tourists visiting the temple town and the state government has sanctioned Rs 6.5 lakh annually for it.
The CM also attended Saryu aarti on Diwali eve last year during Divya Deepotsav celebrations. The newly constituted Ayodhya Municipal Corporation is awaiting funds from the government. Sanitary workers have been outsourced as permanent staff are yet to be appointed.
The civic body has roped in Kiyanna Solutions Private Limited, a Varanasi-based company, for door-to-door garbage collection.
Mayor Rishikesh Upadhyay sais, “I am monitoring all projects to ensure their timely completion.”