Nripendra Misra, chairman of the Ram temple construction committee, on Saturday termed the donation theft at the Ayodhya Ram temple a “disgraceful blot” and said everyone feels “utterly humiliated” by the incident.
Misra arrived in Ayodhya on Friday for a two-day meeting of the construction committee. The meeting concluded on Saturday.
“This is a disgrace, and we all are not just apologetic but feeling humiliated and let down by it,” Misra told the media on Saturday. He added that the matter is now squarely about temple management.
“This is now an issue about temple management, and the management would surely be improved to guard against a repeat of this alleged donation theft,” he said.
Misra, who was among the first to demand the appointment of a CEO for the temple trust, said a high-level committee has been constituted to recommend a suitable name for the post.
There is speculation that the trust may consider appointing a woman CEO, but Misra declined to comment on it.
“You are aware, a retired judge is heading the committee for the appointment of a CEO. It will submit its recommendations to the trust, which will take a call on the issue,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“You are aware, a retired judge is heading the committee for the appointment of a CEO. It will submit its recommendations to the trust, which will take a call on the issue,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}The Trust has constituted a three-member committee comprising Justice (retd) Pramod Kohli, Lt General (retd) Vishnukant Chaturvedi and Suresh Haware to recommend names for the CEO’s post. The decision was taken at the executive committee meeting of the Trust on July 6 in Ayodhya. Misra did not attend that meeting.
Amid the donation theft controversy, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra has accepted the resignations of general secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra. Following the resignation, trustee Krishna Mohan is the new interim general secretary of the trust. He attended the committee’s meeting on Friday.
The trust will meet again on July 22. It is expected to decide on measures to strengthen the temple management system. However, Misra said he did not have details of the agenda for the July 22 meeting.
Giving an update on construction, Misra said he reviewed the ongoing work on Friday.
“The work on the old temple, which is being developed as a memorial, is nearly finished. The only thing remaining is the arrangement for the flame that will burn 24/7,” he said.
This memorial is being constructed in the Ram Janmabhoomi complex in memory of karsevaks who died in firing in Ayodhya in 1990.
Misra added that the main memorial structure is expected to be completed by the end of this month. Thus, the final phase of the temple construction work will be over by July 30, said Misra.
Other projects, including the construction of a four-kilometre boundary wall and an auditorium outside the temple complex, are likely to be completed by November-December. Misra also spoke about the upcoming Ram Katha Museum, which will have 20 galleries.