Date:19/09/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/09/19/stories/2005091901280900.htm

Other States - Uttar Pradesh

Ayodhya to be tourist hotspot

AYODHYA: The Uttar Pradesh Government has decided to develop the religious city as a tourist hotspot at an estimated cost of Rs. 210 crores.

State Irrigation Minister Munna Singh Chauhan, who hails from Faizabad district, of which Ayodhya is a part, said here that the emphasis would be on developing the birthplace of Lord Ram as an attractive tourist centre on the lines of Kashi and Prayag.

Mr. Chauhan said beautification of temples and other monuments, besides the makeover of the "Sri Ram Jal Samadhi Sthal" at Guptar Ghat and the development of a new ghat dotting the Sarayu river, will be taken up under the project. The new ghat to be named after the former Prime Minister, Chaudhary Charan Singh, would also house a 35-ft statue of the agrarian leader.— UNI