Ram Temple construction unlikely to be completed by 2025: Champat Rai
Ayodhya: The construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya is unlikely to be completed by 2025, according to Champat Rai, the general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
Rai provided this update after a two-hour meeting of the Trust, held at the Maniramdas Chhavni. The meeting was chaired by Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, the president of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, and attended by key members, including treasurer Govind Devgiri, Mahant Dinendra Das, Anil Mishra, Ayodhya District Magistrate Chandravijay Singh, Vimalendra Mohan Pratap Mishra, and temple construction committee chairman Nripendra Misra. Virtual participants included K Parasaran, Swami Vishwaprasanna Tirth, Pejawar Math’s Paramanand, Jagadguru Shankaracharya Vasudevanand Saraswati, and Prashant Lokhande, a secretary in the Government of India.
Post-meeting, Champat Rai said that the Trust spent Rs 776 crore, with Rs 540 crore for temple construction and Rs 146 crore for other expenses. For 2024-2025, the estimated expenditure is Rs 850 crore, with Rs 670 crore earmarked for temple construction.
Rai also mentioned that the Trust received Rs 363.43 crore in donations, including Rs 10.43 crore from devotees abroad. Additionally, Rs 204 crore was accrued as interest. Rai outlined arrangements for pilgrims, including seating for 350 near Sugriva Kila, clean drinking water, wheelchair access, and special facilities for elderly women and mothers, such as nursing rooms.
