Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday inaugurated and laid foundation stones for 245 development projects worth over Rs 290 crore under the Ayodhya Municipal Corporation, and also opened the Ramayana Wax Museum and a new Zonal Office Building in the city.
Addressing a public gathering after the inauguration, Yogi said Ayodhya is no longer neglected or disregarded. He recalled his first visit to the city 40 years ago: “When I had the opportunity to visit Ayodhya 40 years ago, its condition was heartbreaking.
It was the period of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. There was an atmosphere of struggle and silence, people lived in fear, and governments lacked positive intent.”
The projects inaugurated on Friday include an Integrated Command
and Control System, a Traffic Management System, works under the AMRUT scheme, beautification and restoration projects, Smart City initiatives, and the Zonal Office Building. Yogi toured the Ramayana Wax Museum and released the Municipal Corporation’s development booklet at the event.
The Chief Minister recalled the state of Ayodhya in 2017 when he took office. “The city had narrow lanes, heaps of garbage, only five to six hours of electricity supply, and stagnant water at Ram Ki Paidi,” he said.
He said the government initiated Deepotsav celebrations that year, and today lakhs of people participate in the event.
Yogi said the state government has sanctioned projects worth more than Rs 35,000 crore for Ayodhya’s development. He said Ayodhya is now connected through four-lane highways, double railway lines, and an international airport.
He praised the Ramayana Wax Museum, which was built on a Public-Private Partnership model. He also cited the Shivalik Park at Prayagraj, created during the Mahakumbh by a private organisation in collaboration with the Municipal Corporation using scrap materials, as an example of revenue-generating innovation.
Revenue from the park within a month of the Mahakumbh had already exceeded construction costs, Yogi said.
The Chief Minister suggested that screens be installed at the Ramayana Wax Museum so that visitors can also hear verses from the Ramayana. He urged citizens to raise public awareness around the protection of newly created infrastructure so future generations can benefit.
Yogi also called on residents to plant at least one tree in their mother’s name, recommending shade-giving, fruit-bearing, medicinal, or timber-yielding species, in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal. He warned that El Nino effects could lead to water scarcity, and urged water conservation.
The Chief Minister honoured sanitation workers Lalita Devi, Ragini, and Geeta Devi for outstanding service.
Those present at the event included Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi, Mayor Mahant Girish Pati Tripathi, MLAs Ved Prakash Gupta, Amit Singh Chauhan, Ramchandra Yadav, and Abhay Singh, District Panchayat Chairperson Roli Singh, and BJP District President Radheshyam Tyagi.
