Once singed by communal riots, the sleepy town of Ayodhya is now a bustle of activity. Ahead of the Ram temple inauguration in January, the town is witnessing an epic infra overhaul, which include a facelift for its rail station that will see some 1000-odd special trains chug in, an airport named after Lord Ram with several flights announced; and a real estate boom with land prices quadrupling.

The UP Government has announced setting up of a greenfield New Ayodhya township project, while hotel chains like IHCL through brands like Ginger and Vivanta, Sarovar, Park Inn by Radisson, Wyndham and Oyo are either prospecting or have already began operations in the temple town.

The consecration ceremony of the Ram idol is scheduled on January 22.

Rising Land Prices

Real estate agents told businessline that the average price within city limits that stood between ₹1,000 and ₹2,000 per sq ft earlier has shot up since October. Areas within city limits saw the average price rise to ₹4,000-6,000 per sq ft.

According to Anuj Puri, Chairman at real estate consultancy major ANAROCK Group, there has been a significant jump in average prices between 2019 (since the Supreme Court’s order) and 2023.  “Post the verdict, land prices had risen to nearly 400-700 per sq. ft. in the outskirts (at Faizabad Road),” he said.

Infra Boom

Nearly 174 projects with a combined value of over ₹30,000 crore across 37 departments have been approved for Ayodhya. Among these, 98 projects hold priority status.

The first phase of the Maryada Puroshottam Shri Ram International  Airport should be ready by December-end. Air India Express and IndiGo will commence flights between Delhi and Ayodhya from December 30.

Rail connectivity to the town is booming. New Vande Bharat trains connecting Ayodhya from Delhi and Lucknow are also expected. Two rakes of the Amrit Bharat trains -running on the ‘push-pull’ technology – are expected to be flagged off too.

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