Ayodhya mosque project hangs in balance over lack of funds and other hurdles

The Ayodhya mosque, which will now be constructed 25 km away from Ayodhya city, in an area known as Dhannipur, is still struggling with administrative hurdles.

Members of the Indo-Islamic Culture Foundation (IICF) — the committee formed by the Sunni Central Waqf Board to manage the construction of the mosque in Ayodhya — are planning to request the Uttar Pradesh Government for a full waiver of the development charges they have to submit to the Ayodhya Development Authority (ADA) in order to secure approval for the mosque’s map. 

The IICF has to reportedly submit approximately ₹10-12 crore as labour cess and development tax to secure final approval for the map, while the total funding the foundation has received for the mosque so far via crowdfunding is around ₹50 lakh.

An official of the IICF told The Hindu that fund-raising for the mosque had been stopped as continuous hurdles were being posed in the way of its construction.

Athar Husain Siddiqui, secretary, IICF, said that the committee was grateful to the State government, which has changed the land rules of the area in which the mosque is planned, easing the process for them.

“We were all set to apply for final approval of the map last month but when we approached the ADA for it, we were told that we had to submit some money as development and labour cess. When we enquired, it turned out to be a sum in many crores. At present, we are not in a position to deposit it, so we have decided to request to the State government to waive off the development charges. A letter for this will be sent to the State authorities by our president,” Mr. Siddiqui added.

A senior ADA official confirmed to The Hindu, “As soon as the IICF submits the map of the mosque for approval with the authority, our software would generate a form providing details of depositing development taxes (2-3% of the total cost of the project) and labour cess (1% of the project cost).” 

According to the IIFC, the total cost of the three-phase mosque project is about ₹300 crore. The complex is spread across 4,500 square metres, and includes a hospital, community kitchen and library, and a research centre dedicated to Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah, a freedom fighter who took part in the 1857 War of Independence against the British. The blueprint of the mosque is designed by Professor S.M. Akhtar, Founding Dean of the Faculty of Architecture and Ekistics at Jamia Millia Islamia University, Delhi.