No firing or curfew, only festivals in Ayodhya: Yogi

LUCKNOW Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday said there would no more be any curfew or firing in Ayodhya, and instead, the city would witness festivals like “Deepotsav” and distribution of sweets.
Without naming the Samajwadi Party, Adityanath was apparently taking a veiled jibe at the party for firing on karsevaks in Ayodhya in 1990 during the Mulayam Singh Yadav regime.
He was speaking at a programme at his Kalidas Marg residence in Lucknow where eight sets of dresses for Ram Lalla made from handloom were given to him ahead of the January 22 consecration ceremony.
“A cruise on the Saryu will now be a reality. There will be no ban on Panchkosi, 14-Kosi and 84-Kosi parikrama and no curfew in Ayodhya. Instead, there will be chanting of Lord Ram’s name there. There will also not be any firing, and instead, Deepotsav will be organised and “laddoos” will be distributed in Ayodhya,” he said.
He said lakhs of people earned their living in the name of Ram Lalla by holding Ram Katha and more people attending such programmes. “Villages, towns and cities alike were connected with Ramlilas and the name of Ram symbolised economy,” added the CM.
The helicopter service to the temple town would be launched after the January 22 programmes. The ride from Lucknow to Ayodhya would take 35 to 40 minutes and pilgrims would be able to have darshan of the temple at Hanuman Garhi and Ram Janmbhoomi in only five minutes, he said.
AYODHYA AIRPORT POISED TO GO INT’L
Ayodhya’s connectivity with different cities is rising steadily since December 30 -the day when the Ayodhya airport was inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi, and on Wednesday, a new air service will begin from Ayodhya that is ready to go international, he said earlier at an event in Lucknow.
Adityanath said his government, so far, made available 871 acres of land to the Airports Authority of India, said a government statement.
LAND OF OPPORTUNITIES
Yogi Adityanath said apart from being a centre of faith, Ayodhya has also become a medium of employment for lakhs of people. “Now, the streets of Ayodhya do not reverberate with gunfire. Rather, they are lit up by Deepotsav. Today’s Ayodhya does not face curfews. It echoes with devotional music,” he said, according to the statement.
1K SEEK TO START HOMESTAY
The CM said over 1,000 people have so far applied to start homestays. “On one hand, these homestays symbolise the spirit of ‘atithi devo bhava’ (guest is like God), and on the other, these would also boost people’s income. The new Ayodhya has immense opportunities for boatmen, taxi drivers, e-rickshaw drivers and many other sections of workers,” he said.
Ayodhya is poised to become the country’s first solar city. Already, 200 electric buses have been given to Ayodhya and 300 more will be added to the fleet in due course of time, he added. He said in 2017, the tourist footfall in Ayodhya was in few thousands while last year by Ram Navami, it had reached 35 lakh.