The holy city of Ayodhya will see the construction of a 151-metre tall statue of Lord Ram on the banks of Sarayu River, the announcement of which is likely to be made by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath during his visit to the city on November 6.
The state government has been planning to construct the statue for several months now and regular meetings have been held between officials of the cultural and tourism ministries in this regard. According to government officials, the project is aimed at increasing the flow of tourists to the city.
The UP chief minister recently announced that he is going to Ayodhya for a grand Diwali celebration and will also announce a gift for the people of the city, reports India Today.
It will be the tallest Ram statue in existence and will be visible from all corners of the city. The cost of construction could run into hundreds of crores of rupees, though the exact cost and when the construction will start is still in the discussion stage.
Ram Janambhoomi Mahant Satyendra Das said the plan to build the statue is part of diversionary tactics to divert the attention of crores of Hindus who have been demanding the construction of Ram temple and the government should instead spend time, money and effort on building a grand Ram temple instead.
Meanwhile, Iqbal Ansari, who is associated with the Babri Masjid litigation, said Muslims have no issue with the construction of the statue but attention should also be paid to the city where no development has been carried out by the present regime. He added that unemployment rate in Ayodha is high and the government should generate new avenues of employment, reports India Today.
