Ayodhya

A total of 148 of the 150 construction works in the Ram temple complex in Ayodhya have been completed and handed over to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, Nripendra Misra, chairman of the temple construction committee, said on Friday.

The main work pending handover is the construction of the temple's outer enclosure, or ‘parkota’, Misra said after reviewing the progress of construction works on the second day of a three-day meeting of the committee.

Rain affected water-treatment work on the roof of the ‘parkota’, which would be completed when the weather improves, he said.

The target is to complete the lighting work on the ‘parkota’ and the temple facade by November 15, Misra said, adding that arrangements would be made to illuminate the temple in keeping with its grandeur and architectural beauty during Diwali.

“Larsen & Toubro (L&T) hands over completed works to the Trust after finalising the relevant documents, drawings, designs and financial details. The Trust's team of project engineers then inspects the works before accepting them,” Mishra said.

The committee is also reviewing contractors' payments and other financial matters, and will discuss the progress of work for an auditorium and a museum being built outside the temple complex.

Misra said that construction of the Vijay Stambh and the Shaheed Smarak has been completed, with some landscaping and horticulture work remaining at these sites.

The committee will also inspect the construction sites to assess the pace of work and address the difficulties being faced by the contractors, Misra said.

The Ram temple project follows the Supreme Court's November 9, 2019, verdict in the Ayodhya title dispute, which directed that the disputed land be handed over to a trust for the construction of a temple and ordered that an alternative five-acre plot be allotted for a mosque.

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The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust was formed subsequently to oversee the temple's construction.