Pilgrims, progress

The money and effort that the Central and state governments have put into Ayodhya make it a city that cannot fail. That will not be allowed to fail

- PUJA AWASTHI

'If there ever was a city reborn in the shadow of its own legends, Ayodhya it is. In the hushed murmur of prayers, through dusty lanes snaking between timeworn houses, temples and dharmshalas; from the slow walk of the saffron-clad and on the banks of the majestic Saryu, there is rising a city that has little in common with the one that existed just two years ago. Between its past of many fables and its future of immense possibilities, stands a city that was stranded in twilight for far too long. And thus, a city that is being forced to change at a pace that is not of its own choosing.

Real estate and hospitality are booming, as is the micro, small and medium enterprises sector. As the imagined city becomes more and more real, investment is rushing in.

According to figures released by Ayodhya's District Industry Centre, the total investment amount pledged so far is 1,42,836 crore, with a potential creation of 1.02 lakh jobs.

This is significant given that Ayodhya and its surrounding districts have so far had only measly, agriculture-based business opportunities.

But now, a grand master plan of the Ayodhya Development Authority seeks to develop an area of 875 sq km, which is roughly six and a half times the size of the area in the previous master plan. (In 2018, the Uttar Pradesh government renamed Faizabad district as Ayodhya, thus erasing the municipal boundaries between the twin cities and brought in a number of revenue villages from adjoining districts to form Ayodhya district, to which this plan is applicable).

But Ayodhya's change has also been born in pain, silent and staged protests, and countless tears. That is but the nature of change. By the government's own estimates, 3,477 properties (including homes and shops) were impacted by the Ram Path and the Bhakti Path (redeveloped, widened and beautified roads). In addition, 30 temples, eight mosques and five shrines were affected.