Ayodhya Mosque Plan Rejected Over Pending Government Clearances, RTI Reveals

The Ayodhya Development Authority (ADA) has rejected a proposed mosque construction plan in Dhannipur village due to the absence of no-objection certificates (NOCs) from multiple government departments, according to a response to an RTI query filed by journalist Om Prakash Singh. The decision, detailed in a September 16 letter, cites pending clearances from Public Works, Pollution Control, Civil Aviation, Irrigation, Revenue, Municipal Corporation, and Fire Services. The rejection stalls a project mandated by the Supreme Court’s November 9, 2019, verdict, which allocated five acres to the Sunni Central Waqf Board for a mosque and related facilities following the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute.

The mosque trust submitted its application on June 23, 2021, after the land in Dhannipur village, 25 km from Ayodhya town, was transferred by then-District Magistrate Anuj Kumar Jha on August 3, 2020. The trust paid ₹4,02,628 in application and scrutiny fees, but progress has been halted due to the lack of NOCs. Mosque trust secretary Athar Husain expressed dismay, stating, “The Supreme Court mandated the land, and the Uttar Pradesh government allotted the plot. I am speechless as to why government departments have not issued NOCs and why the ADA rejected the plan.”

A key issue raised by the Fire Department during a site inspection was the inadequate width of the approach road, which is only six meters wide, with the main access at four meters, against the required 12 meters for the proposed mosque and hospital buildings. Husain noted that no formal objections from other departments have been communicated. The delay has sparked concerns among the trust, given the project’s significance as part of the Supreme Court’s resolution to a decades-long dispute.

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The rejection highlights bureaucratic hurdles in implementing the court’s directive, raising questions about coordination between state agencies. With Ayodhya’s Ram Temple construction progressing rapidly, the mosque project’s stagnation underscores contrasting paces in fulfilling the 2019 verdict. Authorities have not indicated a timeline for resolving the NOC issues, leaving the project’s future uncertain.

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