LUCKNOW: The special task force set up by the Kalyan Singh government has devised devious plan to circumvent the court order restraining the government from building permanent structures on the land acquired around the disputed site in Ayodhys.
The latest official proposal states that any construction within the precincts of the proposed Ram Katha Park should be in conformity with the type of structures built during the days of Lord Ram. Such non-permanent structures with a thatched roof would in no way violate the ruling which has barred the construction of any “permanent structures” on the recently acquired 2.77 acres land.
Despite being slotted in the second phase of the overall Ayodhya development plan, the Ram Katha Park project is now being accorded top priority by the state government, According to official sources a sum of R.s 10 lakh has been earmarked for holding on competition to choose the architectural design of the park.
The government has also worked out a R.s-40 crore plan for the Park, Of the total amount, Rs 15 crore has been earmarked for immediate use for basic lay out, fencing, building of roads and tree plantations, The proposal is a handy tool for the government as it can go ahead with its plan to start temple construction without violating the courts guidelines. The BJP plan obviously is to set to the masses that the launching of the Ram Katha Park would mark the beginning of the construction of what would ultimately take shape as the “Ram Janambhoomi complex” incorporating, at a later stage, the disputed shrine too. Till then, however, the government proposes to raise “temporary” structures, akin to the ones built during the Ram Rajya, even on the 2.77 acres of land in the front portion of the shrine.
Strangely, the route being taken by the BJP government is almost identical to that adopted by the Congress and later by the Mulayam Singh Yadav governments.
According to official records, the plan was mooted by the late Vir Bahadur Singh, who was UP chief minister was also responsible for getting the gates of the drainage and Sanitation system for the holy city.
However, not much could actually be done beyond drawing up of some maps and disbursement of compensation to landowners whose property had been acquired by the government.
The government of Mylayam Singh Yadav, which stepped in after the debate of the Congress at the 1989 general elections, showed the no hesitation in carrying forward the blueprint drawn up for the Ram Katha Park by his preceding political adversaries, In fact, the special high level committees activities got a fill up during Yadav’s regime. But bogged down with loo many controversies, he too was unable to launch the scheme even though he regarded the “Ram Katha” park plan as key to removing the stains of his “anti-Ram” image.
Thus, when the Kalyan Singh government issued another notification on October 7, to order acquisition of the remaining 2.77 acres of land just around the disputed shrine, it was nothing new that he was doing, notwithstanding BJP*s claims that it had been done as part of the party’s election commitment to pave way for the construction of the temple, The land acquisition notification was preceded by several rounds of meetings of the high-level, committee under the chairmanship of the new chief minister. The Narayan Dutt Tiwari blue print was now elaborated into a controversial shrine unlocked in 1986. The idea was, however, given shape by Vir Bahadur Singhs successor Narayan Dult Tiwari.
Tawari’s first step in that direction was the setting up of the Ayodhya special area development authority in 1988. The announcement about the creation of this development authority came without arousing the suspicions about the real plans of the government. Since the draft plan incorporated development and beautification of the entire area around the disputed shrine, only as part of the overall development plan for the area, no eyebrows were raised.
This was followed by setting up a high-level committee for the development of Ayodhya and Vrindavan. The committee headed by the chief minister himself, for the first time drew upa blue print for the creation of Ram Katha park of the 64 acres of acquired land, While the Vir Bahadur Singh government had already issued the acquisition order for 64 acres, the Tiwari government sanctioned a sum of R.s 10 lakh for drawing up a blue print for the project.
Senior officials directly attached to Vir-Bahadur Singh at that time confirm that the then government had serious plans of developing the entire area around the Ram janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid into a unique complex catering to both pilgrims and tourism, Though the land in immediate proximate of the disputed shrine had not been touched at that time, it was surely in Vir Bahadur Singh’s mind to do so in the long run, once the Ram Katha park was ready. This would have maintained the status quo permitting worship by Hindus, as per the Faizabad district judge’s order, while also keeping the structure of the Babri Masjid intact. However, since the temple mosque issue had already shed much blood in different parts of the country, Vir Bahadur preferred to keep a low profile until he was shifted to New Delhi and Narayan Dult Tiwari once again took over the reins of this State.
The Tiwari governments pain for a comprehensive development of the entire Ayodhya town included proposed construction of a Ram Katha Museum, Ayodhya Research institution, repair of old and dilapidated religious places, beatification of other places of religious and tourist interest, apart from construction of dormitories and “rain baser as” for “parikrama™ routes in Ayodhya as well as building of a proper wider plan of spreading out the Ayodhya development and beautification program into two phases. The first meeting held on August 18 drew up a chart of jobs that were proposed to be undertaken in Ayodhya. An estimate for expenditure of about R.s 28.12 crore was also put up for the first phase while another proposal was made seeking requirement of an estimated R.s 21.50 crore for the second phase.
Discreetly, the Ram Katha Park project was kept in the second phase, so as not to attract much attention, while plans for acquiring land in the immediate vicinity of the disputed shrine were being worked out actively. Barely 60 days later came the acquisition order, thereby bringing the already acquired 52.90 acres into one stretch with the 2.77 acres adjoining the Ram janmabhoomi Babri Masjid.
FARIDKOT: The district administration has taken up a new program of brick lining of all watercourses connected with rural water-supply reservoirs. The en- tire project would be completed at an estimated cost of R.s 1.90 crore, the deputy commissioner, Sarvesh Kaushal, said at Faridkot on Saturday.
Article extracted from this publication >> December 6, 1991
