Ayodhya mosque project to start off on Republic Day

Lucknow, Jan 18: The Ayodhya mosque project in Dhannipur village will formally begin on Republic Day (January 26). According to reports, the project, at a five-acre plot, includes a hospital, a museum, a library, a community kitchen, the Indo-Islamic Cultural Research Centre and a publication house.

Speakig to reports, Athar Hussain, secretary and spokesperson of the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF), said that the national flag will be hoisted on the five-acre plot of the project at 8.30 am on January 26. It will be followed by plantation of tree saplings by the chief trustee and the member trustees of the IICF.

Last year, the 15-member IICF was constituted by the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board (UPSCWB) for the construction of a mosque on five acres of land allocated to it in Raunahi in Ayodhya. The mosque is coming up in Ayodhya pursuant to the Supreme Court's November 9, 2019 verdict in the Ram Janmabhoomi case.

"At a meeting of the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF), it was decided that Republic Day will be celebrated with the start of the Dhannipur Mosque Project, which includes a hospital, a museum, a library, a community kitchen, the Indo-Islamic Cultural Research Centre, a publication house and a mosque," Athar said.

At a virtual meet chaired by IICF president Zufar Ahmad Farooqi and attended by all the nine trustees, the progress of the trust activities, especially the procedural delay in getting the 12-A/80-G clearances under the Income-Tax Act and the proceedings for the opening of an FCRA account, was discussed, the statement said.

"It was decided to make a formal beginning of the project by applying for the plan clearance from the Ayodhya District Board and start the soil testing process at the five-acre plot," it added.