Ayodhya: Ram temple's roof leaking after heavy showers, says chief priest

Ayodhya (UP): Water was leaking from the roof of the sanctum sanctorum at the Ram temple here after the first heavy showers since it was opened to the public, its chief priest Acharya Satyendra Das said.

Alleging negligence in the construction of the temple, Das claimed that there was also no arrangement for the drainage of rainwater from the temple premises after the showers on Saturday midnight and urged the temple authorities to take necessary corrective measures.

After the senior officials were informed about the incident of water leaking from the roof, the chairman of the temple construction committee, Nripendra Mishra, reached the temple and gave instructions to repair the roof and make them waterproof, temple trust sources said.

Speaking separately to reporters about the progress of temple construction, Mishra said that work on the first floor was on and will be finished by July this year, and expressed the hope that the construction of the temple will be completed by December.

Acharya Satyendra Das told reporters there was heavy leakage from the roof of the temple's sanctum sanctorum in the first heavy showers that occurred at midnight on Saturday. Rainwater was leaking from the roof directly above the place where the priest sits in front of Ram Lalla's idol and where people come for VIP darshan, he said.

"It is very surprising that engineers from all over the country are building the Ram temple. The temple was inaugurated on January 22. But, no one knew that if it rains, the roof will leak. It is surprising that the roof of a world-famous temple is leaking. Why did this happen?"

"Such an incident is happening in the presence of such big engineers, which is very wrong," he said.

Meanwhile, rains on Saturday night caused severe waterlogging on the Rampath road and its adjoining laneshere. While sewer water entered houses in the area, the Rampath road and other newly constructed roads in Ayodhya caved in at some places.

There was waterlogging from Jalwanpura to Hanumangarhi Bhaktipath and from Tedhi Bazaar to the inner areas, locals said.

Reacting to the sewer water entering houses in the lanes of Rampath during the rain, Ayodhya Mayor Girish Pati Tripathi said, "I have started damage control since morning. I have deployed several teams of the municipality to remove water from the houses."

However, attempts to seek the response of top officials of the Public Works Department (PWD) did not fructify.

Congress alleges corruption in construction

Meanwhile, the Congress accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of indulging in corruption in the temple construction and building of civic facilities in the temple town.

"Be it the coffin of the martyrs or the temple of God, all these have become opportunities for corruption for the BJP. Even the symbols of faith and purity in the country are just opportunities of loot for them," Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai alleged in a statement on Monday.

"It has become clear from the statement of chief priest Satyendra Das that water is leaking in the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram temple built at a cost of crores due to the first rain and there is no proper drainage system," he said.

Rai said, "Not only this, the mask of the BJP, which was beating the drum of development of Ayodhya, has come off with the road collapsing at many places on the Rampath built at a cost of Rs 624 crore."

He alleged that the BJP has made Ayodhya a "hub of corruption by getting second-rate construction done in a hurry only to gain electoral benefits".

"The BJP has only done injustice to the people there by not giving them proper compensation," he alleged.

Temple construction will be complete by December

Chairman of Ram Temple Construction Committee Nripendra Mishra said that the first floor of the Ram temple at Ayodhya will be completed by July this year, and expressed the hope that the construction of the temple will be completed by December.

He said marble from Rajasthan will be used in making the 'Ram Darbar' and the seven temples. Four sculptors have been shortlisted for this work, he added.

Speaking to reporters in Ayodhya, Mishra said, "The first floor of the temple, which is under construction, will be completed by the end of July. After July, the construction of the second floor will only remain. So, we are hopeful that by December, the construction of the temple will be complete," Mishra said.

On the recent controversy in a section of the media about 'teeka' not being applied on the foreheads of the devotees visiting the Ram temple, Mishra said, it was not applied to the devotees who used to come earlier. They used to have a 'darshan' of the Lord and then go out.

"Teeka was applied to some special people who used to come from another 'dwar' (gate). So, it is completely misleading to say that the Lord's 'teeka' and 'charnamrit' are not being given.

"No new embargo has been put. Everybody is being given equal treatment, be it an ordinary devotee or a special (person)," Mishra said.

The idol of Ram Lalla was consecrated at the Ayodhya temple on January 22, a landmark event led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi who also gave a clarion call to go beyond the grand temple's construction to build the foundation of a "strong, capable and divine" India of the next 1,000 years.

More than 1.75 crore devotees have visited the temple from January 22 till June 23.

On average, one lakh devotees visit the temple daily. By the end of this month, we expect that 2 crore devotees would have visited the temple.