On December 30, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate Ayodhya’s new airport and a re-developed railway station, marking a significant moment for the pilgrim town. The new airport, built at a cost of ₹1,450 crore, boasts a passenger terminal with a 6,500 sq.m. capacity, designed to handle 10 lakh passengers annually. The terminal’s facade mirrors the upcoming Ram Mandir’s architecture, while its interiors feature local art, paintings, and murals depicting Ram’s life. Additionally, the airport integrates sustainable elements like insulated roofing, LED lighting, rainwater harvesting, landscaping, a water treatment plant, sewage treatment plant, and a solar power plant.
The re-developed railway station, a ₹240 crore investment, now stands as a three-storey modern facility equipped with lifts, escalators, food plazas, shops, cloak rooms, child care rooms, and waiting halls. Prime Minister Modi will inaugurate the Amrit Bharat Express, a new category of superfast passenger trains, including the Darbhanga-Ayodhya-Anand Vihar Terminal Amrit Bharat Express and the Malda Town-Sir M. Visvesvaraya Terminus (Bengaluru) Amrit Bharat Express. Additionally, six new Vande Bharat trains will be flagged off.
Further emphasizing development, PM Modi will lay the foundation stone for projects totaling ₹11,100 crore, aimed at enhancing civic facilities and preserving the city’s cultural heritage. These initiatives include the conservation and beautification of historical entrance gates, construction of new concrete ghats, development and beautification of tourist facilities from Naya Ghat to Laxman Ghat, and the creation of a visitors’ gallery for Deepotsav, among others.
The Prime Minister will also mark the beginning of a greenfield township in Ayodhya, with a cost exceeding ₹2,180 crore, and the Vashishtha Kunj residential scheme, budgeted at about ₹300 crore. Additionally, the foundation stone for the Lucknow-Ayodhya section of National Highway-27, incorporating the strengthening and modification of the existing Ayodhya bypass, and the construction work for the Municipal Corporation Ayodhya and the Ayodhya Development Authority office will be laid by Mr. Modi.