Blueprint for Ayodhya: Solar City, 1200 acre Vedic township and country and state bhawans on lines of Chanakyapuri

NEW DELHI: Uttar Pradesh has outlined a blueprint for the development of Ayodhya, which includes a 1,200-acre greenfield township based on Vedic city planning that will have an avenue where various countries and states can set up Bhawans just like Chanakyapuri in Delhi, according to a proposal document.

Making Ayodhya a solar city surplus with renewable energy and converting it into a global religious and tourism centre is also part of the blueprint, as per the proposal seeking the services of a consultant to suggest a development plan for the temple town with a tourist projection for 30 years.

“Since the construction of Ram Temple is slated to be completed by the year 2023, a lot of tourist influx will be observed to visit Ayodhya in years to come. The UP government intends to complete key projects before the temple construction completion period to avoid the infrastructure bottleneck issues that might be faced by the pilgrims and tourists visiting the city,” according to the proposal. The study for an integrated infrastructure plan is expected to be conducted over 17 weeks.

The private sector will be encouraged to develop projects in the hospitality sector, Ayurveda and Naturopathy centres will be promoted as part of spiritual tourist activities, the Sarayu riverbank will be developed along with water-based tourism activities like in Varanasi, the barefoot pedestrian kosi parikrama will be developed and seamless integration with the Ram Temple area of 108 acres and the proposed Ram Statue will be ensured, the document says.

The consultant will seek the opinion of the Ram Temple Trust, the Maths (Akhara community), and private sector from the hospitality and tourism industry to identify their expectations.

The greenfield integrated township’s highlight will be the development of a “National Avenue with a place for State Bhawans and International Avenue with Country Bhawans in the township, like Chanakyapuri in Delhi”.

This is being planned expecting high inflow of tourist from various states and countries, who will then be able to seek accommodation in these Bhawans.

Already, over half-a-dozen top hotel chains have expressed interest to set up 5-star hotels in Ayodhya.

The Ayodhya Development Authority area covers 875 square km, while about 31.50 square km is the core city area.

The Yogi Adityanath government is also looking at a business and financial mobilisation plan for the authority by identifying projects that may be developed on a public-private partnership basis by leveraging private sector finance for development.

“With increased tourist inflow in the near future, the city is likely to grow manifold with significant demand in hospitality and allied industries and these activities will create new opportunities by augmenting value creation and employment generation in the region,” the document says.