Lord Ram statue to be built by Yogi Adityanath government on banks of Saryu river at Ayodhya?

The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has made a proposal to build a grand statue of Lord Ram on the banks of the Saryu river in Ayodhya. (PTI)

The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has made a proposal to build a grand statue of Lord Ram on the banks of the Saryu river in Ayodhya. The building of the statue is part of its plan to showcase “Navya Ayodhya” and promote religious tourism in the state, according to Indian Express report. A proposal in this regard has been sent to Governnor Ram Naik. Early report says the height of the statute will be 100 metre but it has not been finalized. Principal Secretary of Tourism Awanish Kumar Awasthi had made a presentation, the IE report says. The statue will be build at Saryughat after clearance from the National Green Tribunal, according to a press communique released from Raj Bhavan.

When asked about the statue, Awasthi said that this was a “concept proposal” and the letter to NGT seeking clearance was yet to be sent, according to IE.

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The presentation also included information on programmes scheduled for Diwali celebrations in Ayodhya on October 18. Governor Naik, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union Tourism Minister K J Alphons and Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma will be present on the occasion.

There are other plans also- a Ram Katha gallery on the banks of the river, a multi-purpose auditorium in the Digambar Akhara premises and various public utility services. For this integrated development of Ayodhya, the state government had sent a detailed project report (DPR) of Rs 195.89 crore to the Tourism Ministry at the Centre and the Ministry has so far provided Rs 133.70 crore to the state.

Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had met former Union Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma and had discussed the construction of Ramayana museum in Ayodhya. The two leaders discussed various tourism-related projects in the northern state, including construction of Ramayana museum for which the Centre has allocated a fund of Rs 154 crore, a PTI report had said.