Flowers, cultural events: How Ayodhya is preparing for PM Modi’s visit today
Ayodhya is all geared up for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit on Saturday, December 30, with the temple town being decked up with flowers, murals and thematic ornamental columns amid heavy security deployment in the temple town.
Divisional commissioner of Ayodhya Gaurav Dayal said preparations were in full swing for the visit and despite dense fog in the city in the past two days, all arrangements were on course.
Modi will be welcomed by various groups of artistes from across India as he arrives in Ayodhya to inaugurate the redeveloped Ayodhya railway station – the Ayodhya Dham railway station – and a new airport – Maharishi Valmiki international airport – before the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple on January 22.
Gaurav Dayal said about 1.5 lakh people are expected to assemble for the rally that will last nearly an hour, after which Modi will depart from Ayodhya.
The administration has put up temporary wooden barricades on both sides of the recently redeveloped Ram Path, and other roads that will fall on his route on the way to the railway station from the airport.
Modi is expected to hold a roadshow on a stretch between the airport and the railway station and acknowledge the greetings of the people of Ayodhya.
Large posters bearing Modi’s image and carrying a message of welcome to the “holy city of Ayodhya” have been put up at various prominent locations in the temple town, news agency PTI reported.
There is a huge poster placed on Ram Path near the new ceremonial gateway that leads to the Ramjanmabhoomi temple site with the message, “Prabhu Ram ki nagri mey aapka swagat hai” (Welcome to the city of Lord Ram). The poster also carries the names of Uttar Pradesh’s urban development department and the Ayodhya Municipal Corporation.
“We are all set for the PM’s visit. The city is being decorated with flowers. Beds have been reserved in various hospitals and at Rajarshi Dashrath Medical College, and security personnel are on their toes,” the Ayodhya divisional commissioner said.
Vaibhav Mishra from Ayodhya will welcome the PM on the land of Ramla Lalla by blowing conches while Mohit Mishra from Kashi will beat a Damru.
Many artistes will present art forms of Awadhi and Vantangiya. While Ragini Mitra of Noida and Brajesh Pandey of Sultanpur will present Awadhi folk dance, Sahaj Singh Shekhawat of Gorakhpur will perform Vantangiya dance.
Depiction of Lord Ram’s life on walls
Along this road – Dharm Path – near Lata Mangeshkar Chowk, interpretation walls are being set up at regular intervals on both sides, depicting the life of Lord Ram.
Huge posters bearing images of the Ram temple, new airport and hailing Ayodhya as city of “Maryada, Dharm and Sanskriti” have been put up in various parts of the city.
Sri Ram hospital in Ayodhya
At the Sri Ram hospital in Ayodhya, a nursing staff on duty said 20 beds in a ward in the old hospital building and five ICU beds in the new building have been reserved.
A ‘Reserved Ward’ sign was put up in the ward that lay empty on Friday morning. Patients have been shifted to other wards, a nurse on duty said.
PM Modi to flag off trains, developmental projects
During his Ayodhya visit, Modi will inaugurate the Ayodhya railway station around 11.15am and the newly constructed Ayodhya airport around 12.15pm.
After this, the prime minister will participate in a public event where several development projects worth more than ₹15,700 crore will be inaugurated.
Modi will also flag off two new Amrit Bharat and six new Vande Bharat trains. Modi will launch projects worth more than ₹11,100 crore to revamp civic facilities and develop world-class infrastructure in Ayodhya and projects worth over ₹4,600 crore for other parts of Uttar Pradesh.
To enhance accessibility to the upcoming Ram temple, he will also inaugurate four newly redeveloped, widened and beautified roads in Ayodhya – Ram Path, Bhakti Path, Dharm Path, and Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Path, the Prime Minister’s Office said.