| Lucknow |
September 10, 2020 4:39:49 am
For Ayodhya to be more than symbolic, and not merely destructive, we must not remain satisfied with the construction of a physical temple to Ram. (File)
AS THE temple construction committee set up by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra is working out the details of the Ram temple to be constructed in Ayodhya, Larsen & Toubro, which has been awarded the contract to build the temple, has contacted the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M) to provide expert help with the design as well as the quality of the concrete to be used.
The Trust members have said that the plan is to create a temple “grand enough to make Ayodhya be recognised as the centre of Hindu faith and strong enough to survive for more than 1,000 years.” Thus, the experts will first build a single pillar going deep in the ground and only after proper testing of its strength will they go ahead with the rest of the pillars. The testing process is expected to take around a month.
According to the Trust members, the temple will have 1,200 pillars in total, each going 200 ft deep in the ground. Among the other things confirmed is that the on-ground construction including the digging of the rest of the pillars is expected to start after October 15, and construction is expected to be completed by January 2023.
Dr Manu Santhanam, head of the civil engineering department at IIT-M, said they were recently approached by Larsen & Toubro for assessing the quality of the concrete to be used to ensure the service life. “We have not arrived at any methodology yet… we have been approached for advice. We are also yet to sign any agreement and things are in early stages. As of now, we are looking at the possible aspects of the construction and what sort of specific models will be utilised,” said Santhanam.
“Ultimately, the soil is what is available there and that cannot be changed. Keeping in mind the soil and ground condition, we have to plan further,” he said.
Sources in Ayodhya said the hole for the pillar to be tested would be dug one metre in diameter and 100 ft deep using rig machines. The decisions were taken following a meeting between Trust general secretary Champat Rai, temple construction committee head Nripendra Mishra and Larsen & Toubro engineers on Tuesday.
Earlier, the Trust had submitted a detailed plan of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra mandir yojana, spread across more than 67 acres, to the Ayodhya Development Authority (ADA). According to the temple map, the temple will have an approach road 30 metres wide and the total covered area will be 12879.30 square meters.
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Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/lucknow/ayodhya-ram-temple-construction-lt-reaches-out-to-iit-madras-for-expert-help-with-design-concrete-quality-6589905/
