PM Modi finalises August 5 date for Ram Mandir's foundation stone-laying in Ayodhya

The date has been finalised for the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, which will be done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Saturday had shortlisted August 3 or 5 as the likely dates for the foundation stone-laying ceremony, and on Sunday, August 5 was finalised as the date for the ceremony by the PMO.   
Amid the relaxed restrictions of Coronavirus lockdown, the trust met on July 18 in Ayodhya and sent the invitation to Prime Minister Modi. The temple construction will commence after the foundation stone-laying ceremony. The trust has estimated that construction of the temple will be completed in 3-3.5 years i.e by 2023. The ceremony was previously stalled due to India-China's face-off, as per the trust.

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Speaking to the media, the trust's Chief Secretary Champat Rai said that 10 crore families across 4 lakh localities of the country will be contacted for fund collection. Moreover, he added that Larsen & Toubro (L&T) which will construct the temple will use Sompura Marbles's wares. L&T, which has already prepared the building's drawings has started collecting soil samples to begin foundation work. As per the tentative design, the temple is set to be constructed over two floors - spanning  161ft in length, 140ft in width, and 128 ft in height, comprising of 5 domes.

WATCH: UP CM Yogi shifts Ayodhya Ram Lalla idol from makeshift temple with special puja

The Ayodhya verdict 

The Constitution Bench of the SC in its verdict on November 9, 2019, awarded the entire disputed area in Ayodhya to the Hindu parties, after a 40-day marathon hearing. It directed the Centre to formulate a scheme within three months which will be responsible for building a temple. On the other hand, the SC ordered that an alternative land of 5 acres in Ayodhya would be given to the Sunni Central Waqf Board for the construction of a mosque. 

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Ram Mandir Trust formation & meetings

Prime Minister Modi had announced the formation of the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust in the Lok Sabha on February 5, with his own former Principal Secretary Nripendra Misra heading the construction committee. The committee has met several times and has invited the PM to lay the foundation stone when the construction begins. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, on March 25 performed special puja and shifted Ram Lalla from the makeshift temple in Ayodhya to another a pre-fabricated temple in the same premises. 

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