With Ram Temple, locals looking forward to a better tomorrow

Tribune News Service

Aksheev Thakur

New Delhi, December 27

On entering the municipal limits of Ayodhya, the walls along the footpaths are seen adorned with murals depicting the life of Lord Rama. A set of imposing sun-themed pillars — ‘Surya Stambhs’ — are being installed along a prominent road of the temple town.

As the Ram Temple consecration ceremony is scheduled for January 22, the Uttar Pradesh Government is elevating infrastructure and security systems to boost tourism in the state. With this, locals too are hoping that their small-scale businesses will flourish.

According to Ayodhya Master Plan 2031, the government is strengthening power supply, pedestrian routes, homestays, tourism facilities, surveillance system and the drainage systems among other civic amenities.

Massive rise in visitors

1,54,51,635

Tourists visited the city in 2015

2,39,10,479

visitors arrived in 2022

The UP tourism department data states that between 2015 and 2019, there has been a 23 per cent rise in tourism in Ayodhya. In 2015, 1,54,51,635 tourists visited the city, and in 2019, when the Supreme Court delivered the judgment on Ram Janmabhoomi, the number increased to 2,01,49,392.

On December 30, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting Ayodhya to launch Rs 30,000-crore projects, including the Maryada Purushottam Shri Ram International Airport and Ayodhya railway station. He will also flag off two trains, including the New Delhi-Ayodhya Vande Bharat Express.

A hawker, Jeetendra Prasad, who has been running a tea stall in the city since 1985, is hopeful of improving his daily income with the completion of the construction of the temple.

“In the last one decade there has been a steadfast enhancement in the infrastructure of Ayodhya. After the SC judgment on Ram Temple, there has been an influx of people into the city for setting up small-scale businesses. In the last few years, the roads have been widened and the aesthetic appeal of the city has gone up,” he said. “I recall the day when the Babri Masjid was demolished and the atmosphere was polarised. Today, the situation is peaceful,” Prasad said. Another vendor Anil Chauhan, who runs a food stall near the city bus stand, belongs to Gonda district, 49 km away. “I shifted from Gonda district to Ayodhya in November 2022. The purpose was to set up a food stall as more tourists are expected to come to Ayodhya in the coming years. In Gonda, there are hardly any employment prospects. I just hope the administration marks dedicated places for business,” he said.

Incidentally, the Ayodhya Development Authority is planning to come up with a housing scheme ahead of the consecration ceremony.

Satyendra Singh, secretary, Ayodhya Development Authority, said, “The scheme will be implemented over 80 acres and more than 95 per cent of the land has been acquired by the government. The housing scheme will come up along the Lucknow-Gorakhpur highway.”

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