The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust on Saturday forwarded tentative dates for Ayodhya temple’s bhumi pujan to the Prime Minister’s office for a final decision. This came after a meeting of the trust earlier in the day.
“Tentative dates for bhumi pujan of Ram temple have been forwarded to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). A final decision will be taken by PMO after considering the prevailing situation in the country,” Champat Rai, general secretary of the trust, said to reporters after the meeting at the circuit house in Ayodhya.
“Trust president Nritya Gopal Das has (already) written to PMO inviting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ‘bhumi pujan’. It is up to PMO to finalise the date of Prime Minister’s visit,” he said.
While Rai did not disclose the dates, another Trust member, Kameshwar Chaupal, said August 3 and 5 were suggested to PMO for bhumi pujan.
Asked about the time required for construction of the temple, Rai said, “A maximum of three to three-and-half years will be required for construction of the Ram temple. Larsen and Toubro is carrying out testing of the soil from 60 metres below the ground (at Ram Janmabhoomi).”
Larsen and Toubro will carry out construction of the temple. At present, engineers of the company are preparing the design of the temple foundation.
“Drawings of the temple’s foundation will be made on the basis of the strength of soil 60 metres below. Work to lay down the foundation will begin on the basis of the drawings,” he said.
He said 10 crore families across four lakh localities of the country will be contacted for financial support to build the temple after the monsoon and when the coronavirus situation eases.
This was the second meeting of the trust to be held in Ayodhya. While 11 of the 15 trust members were present, the remaining four attended the meeting via video link.
Nripendra Misra, chairman of Ram Mandir Construction Committee, was also present at the meeting. The other prominent participants included Trust chairman Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, additional chief secretary (home) Awanish Kumar Awasthi, Ayodhya district magistrate Anuj Jha and architect of the temple Nikhil Sompura.
