LUCKNOW: In order to prepare Ayodhya for the influx of devotees after the opening of the upcoming Ram temple in January, next year, UP CM Yogi Adityanath in a review meeting presided over by PM Narendra Modi on Tuesday approved over two dozen groups from the hospitality sector to set up high-end star hotels in the temple town in the near future.
According to the UP government sources, PM Modi along with CM Adityanath and the district administration officials of Ayodhya, reviewed the progress of 263 projects worth Rs 30,923 crore underway in the temple town in New Delhi on Tuesday. These projects are associated with 37 departments.
Moreover, with the date for the consecration of idol of Ram idol in the sanctum sanctorum of the upcoming temple inching closer, the state government has given approval to 26 groups, including the Taj group, of the hospitality industry to set up star hotels so that devotees and tourists visiting Ayodhya during the inauguration and after that do not face any inconvenience.
While the Taj group has proposed a 100-bed hotel of the Taj by Vivanta series and a 120-bed Ginger hotel, the Radisson group is also eager to set up a facility in the temple town and has got approval for the same. In all, 89 firms had shown keen interest in setting up hotels in and around Ayodhya, of which around 40 had applied for the registration and 26 of them have been approved for registration.
Regional tourism officer, RP Yadav confirmed that besides Taj, Radisson and Oyo had also applied to seek the registration. So far, the groups that have got the approval for registration, mostly, barring a few, have shown their willingness to set up a budget or three-star hotels. As per the provisions of the new tourism policy-2023 of the UP government, the interested party is given a rebate in taxes including stamp and development fees.
The state and the central government are working to put Ayodhya on the global map as a prominent destination for spiritual tourism. As per a rough estimation, after the opening of the Ram temple, there would be a multi-fold increase in the footfall of devotees and tourists in the temple town. Last year, around four crore devotees and tourists, including 2 lakh foreigners had visited Ayodhya.
After the opening of Ram temple, the number of visitors is likely to go up to 10 crore annually, said the state government sources. In Ayodhya, streets, roads and highways are being widened apart from the approval of a new outer ring road.
