A Juhu Chowpatty-like riverfront coming up in Ayodhya is drawing mixed reactions from the city’s natives.
The total budget for the project (almost half of which is complete) is Rs 4.65 crore. The Ram ki paudi – one among the most recognisable ghats of Ayodhya will have 84 food stalls and raised platforms for tourists to sit. The Ram ki paudi is where Ayodhya’s deepotsav is also staged.
In November 2022, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated a food hub at the Naya Ghat area. The aim was to offer a variety of food items (from Chinese to South Indian) that met all food hygiene criteria. However, most of the specially designed food carts in the area are yet to become operational.
Pandit Netraja, the chief priest of a Shiv temple on the ghat said, “It is ironical that in the name of uniformity and beautification, many of the important landmarks of the city have been hidden. This kind of ‘beauty’ which is being imposed on the city completely disregards its true character”, he said.
Satyendra Singh, the secretary of the Ayodhya Development Authority which is in charge of the project, said, the chowpatty will be ready before the deepotsav in November. “It will be a grand attraction for tourists”, he said.
Vendors who at present roam the ghat to sell their trinkets and food items are worried that they will lose their livelihood. “The administration will shoo us away. This has been happening for a while now as we are considered eye sores”, said one Ram Kumar who sells cotton candy at the Ram ki Paudi.
Another worry is that as Ayodhya becomes as fancy as other big cities, more tourists rather than pilgrims will be drawn to it. In the past, on more than one occasion, locals have roughed up outsiders who have been shooting reels in ‘objectionable’ positions both in the river and by its sides.
A saint, Abhay Das said, “Ayodhya should be a place where you leave behind your daily, worldly activities. It should be a place where you pause and reflect on the life of the Lord. But these distractions will make it impossible”.