Construction of Ayodhya mosque to begin after its map approval: Secy of Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation Trust

Athar Hussain, secretary of the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation Trust, said that the construction of the mosque would be completed within a year of the map approval, which is expected soon.

LUCKNOW: Construction of the proposed Masjid-e-Ayodhya -- to be built in Ayodhya’s Dhannipur village -- will start once the map of the religious structure is approved by the Ayodhya Development Authority, said Athar Hussain, secretary of the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation Trust on Sunday. He added that the construction of the mosque would be completed within a year of the map approval, which is expected soon.

The Supreme Court directed the state government to allot five acres of land for a mosque to be built near Ayodhya. (HT Photo)

“Construction of the mosque will take about a year. However, the construction of adjoining buildings -- including a community kitchen, a museum, and a library and research centre in the Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah Complex -- may take at least three years,” Hussain further said.

Earlier, in 2019, the Supreme Court, in its landmark verdict on the Ayodhya dispute, had ordered the construction of a Ram temple on the 2.77-acre plot where the Babri Masjid once stood. In the same order, the apex court had also directed the state government to allot five acres of land for a mosque to be built near Ayodhya.

“We aren’t competing with the deadline for the completion of the Ram Temple project. As the mosque won’t be built in a very large space, its construction shouldn’t take more than a year. The Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation Trust will start the construction of other proposed adjoining structures simultaneously. At present, we are raising funds for the construction of the mosque and other structures in the complex,” Hussain clarified.

According to the proposal, the trust plans to build a 100-bed hospital in the Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah Complex. The facility will later be upgraded to a 200-bed medical centre. Similarly, the community kitchen would initially cater to 1,000 needy people and gradually, its capacity would be raised to provide food to 2,000 people per day. The Indo-Islamic Research Centre and the proposed library will also benefit people, said Hussain.

The secretary also thanked the district administration for allotting extra land for road widening about a month ago. The development came after the fire department, while giving its NOC to the mosque and other proposed structures, had pointed the safety threat due to narrow roads.