Best brains hammer out Ram temple’s foundation blueprint

AYODHYA: The two-day crucial meeting of Ram Temple Trust began in Ayodhya on Sunday, with construction committee chairman Nripendra Mishra reviewing progress of work at the Ramjanmabhoomi site, conducting a micro analysis of the foundation-laying procedure and use of building material and stones for the plinth and spires.
The meeting at Faizabad Circuit House concluded late evening after Mishra along with Trust secretary Champat Rai and other members inspected the foundation and held a five-hour brainstorming session with engineers on the concoction of building material for rolling out the multi-layered foundation, which had been a sticking point for experts due to the inflow of Saryu water 120feet below.
Trust secretary Champat Rai said, “We conducted a nationwide funds campaign straddling 5.3crore cities and villages comprising 11crore families and the Trust coffers are brimming with Rs 3,200crore till March 31 this year.”
Rai said, India’s best brains from top engineering institutions have finalised the blueprint of the temple foundation and this includes retired director of IIT Delhi, B S Raju, Dr Sitaram of IIT Guwahati, director of NIT-Surat Prof SR Gandhi, Dr Gopal Krishnan of CBRI Roorkee, Prof Bhattacharya of IIT Delhi and Prof Manu Santhanam of IIT Madras. It took over two months to remove the debris from the foundation site — 50-foot deep, 400-foot long and 300-foot wide. After the sand and water was found, we began refilling, said Rai.
Seven layers comprising 1.2lakh square feet of the foundation has been laid out and another 50 layers of 10-inch thick building material will be rolled out by October to firm up the temple base.