Apart from a mosque, a library, a community kitchen and a hospital are also proposed in the mega project.
TCN Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI – The Ayodhya Development Authority (ADA) has finally given sanction for the construction of the Ayodhya Masjid mandated by the Supreme Court in the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi verdict.
The construction of the grand mosque in the holy city has been held for the last two years as the Ayodhya Masjid Trust, which is originally named the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation, set up by the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board, submitted the maps in the year 2021 with the ADA.
The Supreme Court in its verdict in the Ramjanbhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute had ordered on 9 November 2019 the allotment of five acres of suitable land to the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board in the acquired area under Ayodhya Act 1993 or at any appropriate prominent place in the city.
Pursuant to the apex court’s direction, the city administration allotted the land to the waqf board at Dhannipur village in Sohawal Tahsil – about 25 km away from Ayodhya town.
“We have approved the project of Ayodhya Mosque in the board meeting, and sanctioned maps will be handed over to Indo Islamic Cultural Foundation after a few departmental formalities which are to be completed within a couple of days,” said Ayodhya Divisional Commissioner and ADA Chairman Gaurav Dayal.
Arshad Afzaal Khan, a trustee of the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation, said after the trust receives the maps for the proposed mosque and other facilities, they will hold a meeting of all trustees to finalise the plan to start the construction.
“We laid the foundation of the mosque on January 26, 2021. It was the day when the Constitution of India came into effect over seven decades ago. Our constitution is based on pluralism, which is also the leitmotif of our mosque project,” he said.
The new mosque will be bigger than the historical Babri Masjid, but won’t be a lookalike of the structure which once stood in Ayodhya.
Apart from a mosque, a library, a community kitchen and a hospital are also proposed in the mega project.
“The hospital will hold centre stage and will serve humanity in the true spirit of Islam as taught by the prophet 1400 years ago,” Khan said, elaborating that the hospital won’t be a usual concrete structure, but will be in sync with the architecture of the mosque, replete with calligraphy and Islamic symbols.
The project, according to him, will open a window to the world on the true spirit of Islam, which “preaches service to humanity”.
“While the hospital will treat the sick and infirm, the community kitchen will feed the hungry, blurring barriers of religion, caste and creed,” he added.
The green belt at the site, said Khan, will create awareness of climate change and a proposed research centre will conduct research on the contribution of Muslims to the freedom struggle and the legacy of the Hindu-Muslim brotherhood which helped India attain independence.
“Last but not least, it will be a place for bowing before the Almighty,” he concluded.