Airport, Cruise Rides & Hotels: Post SC Verdict, UP Plans Image Makeover for Ayodhya to Woo Tourists

Lucknow: As the decades-old land dispute in Ayodhya drew to a close with the Supreme Court’s verdict on November 9, which accorded the contentious piece of plot to Ram Lalla Virajman, the Uttar Pradesh government has geared up to construct a resplendent destination in the temple town.

The Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government aims to build Ayodhya as the biggest religious destination in North India. It is planning to form an ‘Ayodhya Tirtha Development Board’ to take this task further.

The transformation of Ayodhya into one of the biggest religious destinations in North India will reportedly require four years approximately.

Besides, to expand its accessibility, the government will soon make air connectivity better in Ayodhya with an international airport likely to be inaugurated on Ram Navami next year. The Modi government at the Centre has already sanctioned 100 crore rupees for revamping the Ayodhya railway station.

Ayodhya Mayor Rakesh Upadhyay said, “The government is finalising development programs for Ayodhya on a large scale. The development plan will be made public very soon once it is finalised."

Moreover, a bus terminus with a capacity of 3,000 to 4,000 buses has also been proposed and is awaiting the Chief Minister’s approval.

Ayodhya was a town in Faizabad district before the Adityanath government renamed the entire district after it in 2018.

Sources in the Culture and Tourism department suggest that a 13-kilometer long corridor on the life of Lord Ram is also on the cards. A cruise on the Saryu river is also proposed, which will provide a scenic view to tourists and devotees who come to Ayodhya. Meanwhile, five-star hotels and resorts are also expected to come up in the temple town.

A proposal to include 41 nearby villages into Ayodhya has also been sent to the government by the Ayodhya Municipal Corporation. Earlier the proposal was to include only 22 villages.

If sources are to be believed then the state government is likely to rope in a force of more than 2,000 labourers for the completion of construction of the Ram temple.