AYODHYA: It has been nearly three years since the Supreme Court mandated the construction of a mosque in Ayodhya, but the work is yet to begin in the absence of no objection certificates (NOCs) from fire services, pollution board and civic authorities.
On the directions of the Supreme Court, the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board was allotted five acres of land in Dhannipur village for the construction of the mosque.
The board set up a trust -- Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF) -- for the construction of the mosque, a hospital and a museum on the plot.
IICF secretary Athar Husain Siddiqui said the Ayodhya Development Authority had issued letters on July 15 to the authorities concerned, including fire services, civil aviation, Municipal Corporation of Ayodhya, irrigation, PWD, pollution control board and the district administration, to issue "no objection certificates" for the construction of the mosque.
Except fire services, no other department has carried out on-site inspection.
"And, none of the departments concerned has issued 'no objection certificate'," he told PTI on Friday.
According to him, the fire services department has refused to issue the 'no objection certificate' citing narrow approach roads.
"It is necessary that the approach road should be 12-metre wide whereas both the existing roads are of not more than six metres. The width of the main approach road is only about four metres," Husain said.
He requested the Uttar Pradesh government and the Ayodhya administration to build a wide road at the earliest so that the construction can be started.
When contacted, Chief Fire Officer of Ayodhya R K Rai said, "Due to the narrow width of the approach road, the fire department has withheld the no objection certificate to the Ayodhya mosque project. We have issued a letter to the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation informing them that the clearance can only be issued if there are approach roads of 12-metre width."
The Supreme Court, in its judgment in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute on November 9, 2019, paved the way for the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya and allotted five acres of land for the construction of a mosque.