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Yogi orders house tax relief for Ayodhya temples, maths

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath says no VIP should visit Ayodhya on ashtami and navmi of the Navratri festival which begins on Saturday (April 2) and concludes on April 10

Published on: Apr 1, 2022, 21:19:13 IST
By , Lucknow
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Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday instructed Ayodhya Municipal Corporation officials not to charge house tax and water tax at commercial rates from the temples, maths, dharamshalas and organisations associated with religious work in the temple town.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath offering prayers to Ram Lalla at the makeshift temple in Ayodhya on Friday. (PTI PHOTO)
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath offering prayers to Ram Lalla at the makeshift temple in Ayodhya on Friday. (PTI PHOTO)

Instead, only a token amount should be taken from such establishments, said Yogi Adityanath. Yogi was on his first visit to Ayodhya in his second term.

The chief minister asked officials to prepare a proposal in this regard and forward it to the state government department concerned.

Yogi also said no VIP should visit Ayodhya on ashtami and navmi (the eighth and ninth days of the nine-day Navratri) to avoid inconvenience to devotees. He added that if the VIPs visit, they should do so only as ordinary citizens on these two days.

Several lakh devotees visit Ayodhya during Navratri which begins on Saturday (April 2) and ends on April 10 this year. The maximum congregation is seen on ashtami and Navmi (falling on April 9 and 10 this year).

Reviewing ongoing projects at a meeting, he instructed officials to expedite all works which were being done before the assembly polls.

He also instructed officials to prepare detailed project reports of all pending projects.

After reaching Ayodhya, the chief minister offered prayers at Hanuman Garhi temple. He also visited the makeshift temple at Ram Janmabhoomi where some saints and Champat Rai, general secretary of Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, welcomed him.

Yogi Adityanath also felicitated saints taking part in the Ramkot parikrama in Ayodhya. He got down from his vehicle and presented stoles to the saints. This happened when his convoy was supposed to cross the Ramkot parikrama marg where the annual event was in progress. A large number of saints and locals attend this event on the eve of the first day of Navratri every year. Owing to Covid-19, this event was cancelled for the last two years.

Yogi Adityanath met Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust chairman Mahant Nritya Gopal Das and other saints.

  • Pawan Dixit
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Pawan Dixit

    Pawan Dixit, Assistant Editor, brings over 20 years of frontline reporting experience to the newsroom. A specialist on Uttar Pradesh politics and governance, he has reported from the ground across the state’s most consequential stories. He cut his teeth in eastern UP, spending 15 years covering the region. Based in Varanasi, he reported the 2012 UP Assembly polls and the 2014 Lok Sabha elections that reshaped the state’s political map. Moving to Lucknow in 2016, he has since led coverage of the 2017 and 2022 UP Assembly elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. His reporting tracks the BJP’s strategy, opposition moves, and voter sentiment across all 75 districts. Pawan has been a constant presence in Ayodhya since 2016. He reported the entire arc of the Ram Mandir movement — from the legal fight to the Supreme Court verdict, through temple construction, to the inauguration. He continues to track every development at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. On the state beat, he covers the BJP, the Industrial Development Department, and handles key outstation political assignments. He also reports major cases from the district court, Lucknow bench of the High Court, and the State Information Commission. Along with this, he also reports on NGT's important decisions related to UP. Known for sharp sourcing and clear analysis, Pawan connects politics, policy, infrastructure and faith — the forces driving UP today. He has reported developments in Ayodhya and Ram Mandir movement since 2016. The Supreme Court's Ram Mandir verdict, temple construction and the its opening have been reported by him. He reports all developments in Ayodhya and Ram Mandir Trust. He covers state BJP, Industrial development department, outstation political assignments, reports special cases from district court, high court and state information commissionRead More