Proposed Ram statue may get new location in Ayodhya

LUCKNOW :A 251-foot-high statue of Lord Ram is likely to be installed at Manja Barhata village in Ayodhya instead of the previously identified location at Meerpur Duaba in the same district.

“Now, there is a proposal to install Lord Ram’s statue at Manja Barhata. Technical audit of the land is yet to be carried out. It is only after submission of the report by the technical team that the new location will be finalised,” said Rishikesh Upadhyay, mayor of Ayodhya.

The Ayodhya administration has started the process of landmeasurement in Manja Barhata for the project.

Earlier, the Ayodhya administration had selected Meerpur Duaba. Due to opposition by locals of Meerpur over the circle rate, the project could not take off.

Around 65 land owners had filed a writ petition in the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court challenging acquisition of the land. The court had

THE ADMINISTRATION HAS STARTED THE PROCESS OF LANDMEASUREMENT IN MANJA BARHATA

directed the Ayodhya administration to carry out land acquisition according to laid down procedure and norms.

The previous venue was also rejected due to a negative report by the technical audit team of the Ayodhya administration.

In 2017, chief minister Yogi Adityanath had announced plans to install the Ram statue in Ayodhya. The government has ambitious plans to develop Ayodhya as a prominent religious destination in north India.

In a bid to connect Ayodhya with the rest of the country, the government has already approved Rs 100- crore modernisation plan of the Ayodhya railway station.