Ayodhya: Mosque Plan Rejected by Development Authority Over Pending Clearances
The Ayodhya Development Authority (ADA) has rejected the proposal to construct a mosque in Dhannipur village, citing the absence of no-objection certificates (NOCs) from various government departments.
The land was allotted to the state Sunni Central Waqf Board in line with the Supreme Court’s November 9, 2019, verdict, which directed that five acres be provided for the construction of a mosque and associated facilities in Ayodhya.
According to an RTI response, ADA stated in a letter dated September 16 that the mosque trust’s application, submitted on June 23, 2021, was rejected due to missing clearances from departments including Public Works, Pollution Control, Civil Aviation, Irrigation, Revenue, the Municipal Corporation, and Fire Services.
The land in Dhannipur village, Sohawal tehsil—about 25 km from Ayodhya town—was handed over to the Waqf Board on August 3, 2020, by then district magistrate Anuj Kumar Jha. The mosque trust had also paid Rs 4,02,628 as application and scrutiny fees for the project, ADA confirmed.
Reacting to the decision, mosque trust secretary Athar Husain said, “The Supreme Court mandated the land for the mosque, and the UP government allotted it. I am speechless as to why government departments have not granted NOCs, leading to the rejection of the plan.”
Husain added that the fire department had flagged concerns over the site’s approach road, which is only about six metres wide—and just four metres at the main entrance—while norms require a minimum of 12 metres for the proposed mosque and hospital building. “Apart from the fire department’s objection, I am unaware of any concerns raised by other departments,” he said.
