PM to attend foundation laying ceremony of Ram temple in Ayodhya on Aug 5

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the foundation laying ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on August 5 after the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) approved the date for the foundation laying of the grand Ram temple. The  Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust had asked the PMO to approve either August 3 or August 5 for the ceremony. The dates were finanlised at a trust meeting held in Ayodhya on Saturday. 

According to the trust members, it has been agreed that on August 5 PM Modi will reach Ayodhya and stay for four hours to attend the foundation laying ceremony. Due to the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, a very limited number of guests would be invited to the foundation laying ceremony. These include members of trust, local seers and a few ministers of the state government.

Besides, the UP government will also begin work on beautification and infrastructure in Ayodhya on the same day. The UP government has decided to build world class tourism facilities in Ayodhya,  including an international airport, hotels and public utility services.

At the trust meeting on Saturday, it was also decided that all the structures falling under the temple area would be razed. The proposed height of temple would be 161 feet. The trust's meeting on Saturday was attended by general secretary Champat Rai, additional chief secretary of UP Awneesh Awasthi, chairman of temple construction committee and former IAS Nripendra Mishra, apart from other seers.