Lucknow, 2 Dec (HS): The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet authorized the extension of the planned temple museum in Ayodhya on Tuesday, awarding the project to Tata Sons for development and operation on the 52-acre site. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna told reporters after a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath that Tata Sons had expressed a willingness to build a cutting-edge museum and run it through a not-for-profit special purpose vehicle (SPV) as part of its CSR commitments. The SPV would include representatives from both the union and the state governments, he added. Khanna stated that on September 3, 2024, the Union government, the state, and Tata Sons signed a memorandum of agreement for land allotment. The state had already authorized the transfer of 25 acres of nazul land in Ayodhya’s Manjha Jamthara hamlet for a 90-year period. However, Tata Sons requested additional land to accommodate the project’s magnitude and architectural splendor. Accordingly, an additional 27.102 acres will be transferred—free of charge—from the Housing and Urban Planning Department to the Tourism Department, bringing the total project area to 52.102 acres, Khanna stated. Ayodhya has experienced a tremendous rise in visitation since the Pran Pratishtha at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple earlier this year, with an estimated 2 to 4 lakh people visiting each day, according to authorities.
