UP: Man behind Ayodha’s transformative makeover opens up on ‘humongous task’

Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh) [India], January 14 (ANI): With just over a week left for the grand ceremonial opening of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the city is being given a transformative makeover ahead of much-anticipated ‘Pran Pratishtha’ on January 22.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is keeping a fast till the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ of Shri Ram Lalla at His birthplace in Ayodhya, will preside over the grand temple opening on January 22.

Speaking to ANI on Friday, Ayodhya Divisional Commissioner Gaurav Dayal shared details of Ayodhya’s ongoing makeover, saying, “The overall beautification and development of Ayodhya was a big challenge for us and a lot of planning and hard toil went into all the work that could be accomplished in such a short time. It is majorly down to relentless and dedicated work that brought about this transformation of Ayodhya into a pristine and beautiful city in just a year and a half.”

“We are getting visitors not just from across the country but overseas ahead of the grand ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony on January 22. There is a daily influx of people to Ayodhya from across the country, as the city is being given a new-age makeover with a special focus on civic and public infrastructure. The Ayodhya of today is a far cry from what it used to be. The newly laid Dharma Path, Bhakti Path Janmabhoomi Path and the longest of the lot–the 13-km-long Ram Path–are truly magnificent,” the divisional commissioner told ANI.

He added that the city was prepared and decked up to receive ‘Shri Ram Lalla’ on his return to his birthplace after an exile spanning over 500 years.

“Ayodhya is fully prepared to welcome Ram Lalla on January 22. The hard work and effort put in by the officials behind the scenes to give Ayodhya a majestic and marvellous makeover is commendable. What we did to the city wasn’t merely for money, as the work was linked intrinsically with our faith and sentiments. We are toiling day and night to ensure that all pending work is completed before January 22,” Dayal told ANI.

“The redevelopment of Ayodhya from scratch presented us with challenges on multiple fronts. The city used to be very quiet. There was barely any buzz or frenetic activities here as one would associate with bustling cities or townships. When I came here, I had doubts if a transformation of the city was at all possible. However, the honourable chief minister (Yogi Adityanath) had full faith in me and all the officials posted here under me. The Ayodhya that we are seeing now is the result of a collaborative effort involving all the stakeholders. With everyone pitching in with support and suggestions, the task that seemed challenging at the start was eventually made easy. We accomplished a humongous task in a very short space of time,” he added.

“As of today, all the corridors have been completed and the entire city looks mesmerising and all set to receive Lord Ram Lalla. Not only did we relay the roads but during the reconstruction phase, we issued facade control guidelines for the people, making them responsible stakeholders in the redevelopment of the city. We roped in the country’s best and finest engineering minds for the town planning work and also sought suggestions from prominent artists. It was by involving a cross-section of stakeholders that we managed to accomplish this challenging task,” Dayal told ANI.

Speaking on the ‘Surya Stambh’, which has been grabbing eyeballs since being installed as a prominent landmark in the redeveloped Ayodhya, Dayal said, “If you walk on the Dharma Path, you will come across the Surya Stambh, which is the heritage of Lord Ram. The people seem to have taken to this landmark in a big way, as they are often seen standing alongside the Surya Stambh and clicking pictures. We installed these landmarks across the city after consulting leading experts and artists across the country. The CM encouraged us to pursue and implement all the ideas that we presented to him. The government has been steadfast in its support for us. They trusted our vision and have been providing us with all necessary monetary support. We have also received funds from corporates under CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility). The gates welcoming visitors to the city were made through sponsorship of big business houses.”

Since Lord Ram was a ‘Suryavanshi’ according to popular belief, several ‘Surya Stambh’ or solar pillars have been installed on the Dharma Path in Ayodhya.

“By breaking down big goals into small tasks, we managed to accomplish the larger goal of giving Ayodhya a holistic makeover. We had to raze about 3,100 buildings and raise them from the ground up. It was a big challenge. Using the facade guidelines, we got it done in a very short time. As the CM would say, if there’s will and the right intent, we could accomplish the impossible. No force can stop us. It is only because of the trust that he reposed in us that we could complete this task,” Dayal told ANI.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will perform the rituals marking the ‘Pran Prathishta’ of Shri Ram Lalla at the grand temple on January 22.

A team of priests led by Lakshmikant Dixit will perform the main rituals around the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony on January 22.