Ram temple trust reviews construction, appoints new trustee, sets focus on upcoming ceremonies

Ayodhya (UP), Sep 9 (PTI) The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Tuesday reviewed the progress of the Ram temple's construction in Ayodhya, discussed the preparations for upcoming religious ceremonies and made a new trustee appointment to fill a vacancy.

The meeting, held at Mani Ram Chawni and chaired by trust president Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, lasted for more than three hours. It was attended by key trustees, office-bearers and government representatives.

Trust officials said the preparations for the flag-hoisting ceremony on November 25 dominated the discussions. Construction committee chairman Nripendra Mishra, who inspected the temple premises earlier in the day, underlined that no new projects would be launched and that the focus would remain on the previously-approved works.

The meeting also approved the appointment of Krishna Gopal, a retired Indian Forest Service officer, as a trustee. He replaces Kameshwar Chaupal, who died earlier this year. However, there was no consensus on filling the vacancy created by the death of another trustee, Bimlendra Mohan Pratap Mishra.

On the construction front, the trust reviewed the progress on the temple complex's boundary wall, the work on which has now begun. Two contractor firms have been tasked with building the wall. Gate numbers 3 and 11 are being specially developed to handle heavy footfall, with gate number 11 slated to open from October 10. The gates will later be dedicated to prominent seers.

The target for completing the entire temple complex is December.

The Larsen & Toubro board director briefed the trust on manpower issues, stressing that the number of workers needs to be increased to speed up the work. At present, 1,200 L&T employees and 250 government construction corporation workers are deployed. Worker absenteeism during festivals has emerged as a challenge, the officials noted.

The trust also discussed arrangements for financial transparency, administrative issues and the installation of security equipment. Police have already purchased necessary equipment, which will be installed shortly.

A major component of the project is the international Ramkatha museum, being built at a cost of around Rs 200 crore. The museum will have 20 galleries narrating the Ramayan through digital presentations. Each gallery will feature 10-minute episodes from the epic, while a special 7D gallery will depict the tales of Hanuman. Another section will showcase how Lord Ram is revered in different parts of the world.

Among those present at the meeting were trust secretary Champat Rai, treasurer Govinddev Giri, trustees Vasudevanand Saraswati, Madhvacharya, Vishwaprasanna Tirtha, Swami Paramanand, Mahant Dinendra Das of the Nirmohi Akhara, Anil Mishra, besides special invitee members Dinesh Chandra and Gopal Rao. Officials from the central and Uttar Pradesh governments, along with representatives of the Ayodhya district administration, also attended the deliberations. PTI COR KIS RC