Ayodhya mosque plan rejected over pending NOCs, RTI reveals
What's the story
The Ayodhya Development Authority (ADA) has rejected the construction plan for a mosque in Dhannipur village. The rejection was due to the non-receipt of no-objection certificates from several government departments. The land for the project was allotted to the state Sunni Central Waqf Board as per a Supreme Court verdict.
Court order
Supreme Court's 2019 verdict on Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute
The Supreme Court had ordered the allotment of five acres of land to the Sunni Central Waqf Board in its November 9, 2019, verdict. The court had directed that a mosque and related facilities be built at a prominent site in Ayodhya. On August 3, 2020, then district magistrate Anuj Kumar Jha handed over possession of this land in Dhannipur village of Sohawal tehsil, about 25 km from Ayodhya town, to the board.
Project rejection
Application submitted in June 2021
The mosque trust had submitted its application on June 23, 2021. However, the ADA rejected it due to pending clearances from several departments, including Public Works, Pollution Control, Civil Aviation, Irrigation, Revenue, Municipal Corporation, and Fire Services. The authority also confirmed that the mosque trust paid ₹4,02,628 as application and scrutiny fees for their project.
Trust's response
Why haven't clearances been provided?: Athar Husain
Reacting to the rejection, mosque trust secretary Athar Husain expressed confusion over why government departments haven't provided clearances. He said during a site inspection, the fire department raised concerns about the approach road's width. The fire department insisted it should be at least 12 meters wide for safety reasons for both the proposed mosque and hospital buildings.