Talks on for ropeway in Ayodhya for devotees; donations top Rs 100 cr

Authorities are in talks with a couple of European firms for the construction of a ropeway to ensure easy access of devotees to the Ram temple under construction in Ayodhya, a municipal official said on Friday.

According to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust, which is overseeing the construction of the temple, it has collected over Rs 100 crore in donations since the August 5 'bhoomi pujan' ceremony.

Ayodhya Municipal Corporation commissioner Vishal Singh said, "We are talks with a couple of European ropeway makers for the installation of a ropeway in Ayodhya."

One point of the ropeway will be on the temple premises or an adjoining place and the other point will be in a "suitable" location in the city for convenience of devotees, Singh said.

"We will soon select a suitable place to make the out-station," he added.

Ram Janmabhoomi trust office in-charge Prakash Gupta said that in addition to Rs 100 crore in its bank accounts, it has got donations in foreign currencies that are yet to be exchanged and accounted for, 200 kg silver and other precious metals.

Gupta said the pace of the construction of the temple has picked up and carved marbles are being moved to the premises from a workshop three km away.

The work to move the marbles to the temple premises began on Friday with three cranes, 10 trucks and 50 labourers having been engaged for the work, Gupta said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed the 'bhoomi pujan' ceremony to begin the construction of the temple at a site where many devout Hindus believe Lord Ram was born.

The Supreme Court, in its verdict in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit in November last year, had paved the way for the temple construction. It also directed the government to allocate a five-acre plot for the construction of a mosque in the city in Uttar Pradesh.