NEW DELHI: The first meeting of the Shree Ram Teerthsthan Trust will take place on February 19 in New Delhi, where the trustees will decide the date for commencement of the Ram temple’s construction in Ayodhya.
The trustees are also likely to induct Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas chief Mahant Nritya Gopal Das and VHP vice-president Champat Rai to the Trust Board.
The meeting is also likely to name the chairman and the treasurer of the newly notified trust.
The date for commencement of the temple construction could be any day between March 25 and April 8 (Hanuman Jayanti) depending upon the best ‘muhurat’ (auspicious moment), said Swami Vasudevanand Saraswati, a trustee in the newly notified temple trust.
The seer confirmed that the meeting would be held on February 19.
Another trustee, Kameshwar Chaupal, also confirmed the date of the proposed first meeting.
As per the sources, the meeting is likely to take place at the residence of veteran advocate K Parasaran, who argued on behalf of Hindu parties in the Supreme Court during the tile suit hearing.
The Mahavir Mandir Trust of Patna, which had announced a contribution of Rs 10 crore for the temple construction, will hand over the cheque of Rs 2 crore as the first instalment to the temple trust through Ayodhya DM Anuj Jha on Tuesday.
Besides the date for the next meeting, the trustees will also decide on two bureaucrats — one posted at the Centre and the other in Uttar Pradesh — to be inducted as non-permanent members of the trust. The only condition is that both should be practising Hindus, said sources. Swami Vasudevanand Saraswati also gave indications about crowdfunding for the temple construction.
He claimed the first and foremost responsibility of the trust was to decide the appropriate date for ‘shilanyas’ (foundation laying ceremony).
“The finances required for temple construction in Ayodhya, would be arranged by going village after village seeking people to donate,” he added.
On the rumblings over the trustees named by the Centre, Swami Vasudeanand said it had no relevance.
“Those, named by the government, were anointed on the basis of their competence,” he added.