NEW DELHI: Nripendra Misra, chairman of the Ram Mandir Construction Committee, on Friday dismissed media reports of an internal rift over the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, calling the claims “completely baseless”.Speaking to reporters on the final day of a three-day review meeting, Misra denied reports that former trust general secretary Champat Rai had written a nine-page letter accusing him of taking arbitrary decisions.“I have not seen any such letter. Until I see the letter, I will only tell you that this is a concocted story of yours (media). There is no such letter, nor is there any such criticism, even if it were 9 pages long; he has not made any such criticism. This is merely a made-up story by you (media) people.”Rai had resigned as general secretary of the trust about a month ago amid allegations of misappropriation of donations linked to the Ram Janmabhoomi temple project. His resignation had raised questions about the functioning of the trust.
Most temple construction work completed
Misra also gave an update on the progress of the Ram temple and said most of the construction work has been completed.“A review of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple construction has been conducted. In total, there are approximately 70 construction projects, out of which 60 have been completed. They have already been handed over and transferred to the Trust and the Nyas. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Trust will now oversee its maintenance. Most importantly, we will conduct an internal audit of the construction work that has been handed over to the Trust,” he said.He also addressed reports of waterlogging on the temple premises during the monsoon and said work was under way to resolve the issue.“Yesterday, discussions were held with both the Commissioner and the Municipal Commissioner regarding development. Due to the current rainy season, water was accumulating in the temple premises; discussions were held on how to connect it to the municipal drains. This work will be completed within two months,” he informed.
Auditorium, museum and office work in final phase
Misra said the focus has now shifted to completing the remaining facilities, including the auditorium, trust office and museum.“There are about four months of work remaining for the auditorium and the Trust office. Yesterday, we held a meeting with the Managing Director of the Rajkiya Nirman Nigam. Today, we are visiting the museum. The main discussion is to be held on the script prepared for each gallery; the promoter company wants to show a 3D presentation according to that script and obtain approval for it. We will look into that and make a decision today,” Misra added.
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He also highlighted that the temple project was funded entirely through donations collected by the trust and did not use government funds.“The matter of greatest pride is that no government money–neither from the Central nor the State government–has been used in this. The temple was built solely from the funds collected by the Nyas.”
