Sunni Waqf Board yet to decide on land issue

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh government has identified plots of land outside the periphery of the “panchkosi parikrama” to be offered to the Sunni Waqf Board as an alternative site for a mosque as mandated by the Supreme Court in its November 9 verdict in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case .“Panchkosi parikrama” is the 15-km-long circular route taken by devotees within Ayodhya town to pay obeisance.Top government sources told TOI that as many as five potential sites close to highways passing by Ayodhya have been identified and sent to the Union home ministry for clearance.Plots have been identified on the Ayodhya-Faizabad Road, Ayodhya- Basti Road, Ayodhya-Sultanpur Road, Ayodhya-Gorakhour Road, along with one more spot.Sources said that land has been identified beyond the “panchkosi parikrama” periphery so that devotees are not inconvenienced when Muslim and Hindu festivals are held simultaneously.Sources also said a mosque closer to highway will ensure easy access to Muslims.Most part of the temple town, with a major portion of its population, is situated within the “panchkosi parikrama” route.On November 9, the Supreme Court, while handing over the entire disputed land to the Hindu side for construction of Ram Temple , had asked for identification and allocation of five acres of land to the Muslims to build a mosque as a compensation for the Babri Masjid which had been demolished on December 2, 1992.While the Sunni Waqf Board is yet to decide on whether to accept the alternative land that the government has to provide, other Muslim parties including Jamiat Ulema I Hind and All India Muslim Personal Law Board, which represents individual Muslim litigants, have openly rejected the offer.On the directions of the Supreme Court, the Centre initiated the process for identification of five acres of land for the mosque and asked the state government to send proposals.The UP government, through the Faizabad district administration, is learnt to have shortlisted five places where five acres of land is available and sent the proposal to the Union Home ministry for finalising and shortlisting one.Read this story in Bengali.