New Delhi: The mosque project planned under the Supreme Court settlement of the Ayodhya dispute has been reduced in scale after donations from the Muslim community fell below expectations, officials of the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation said.
The Supreme Court’s 2019 judgment awarded the disputed site in Ayodhya to Hindus and directed the Uttar Pradesh government to allot land for a mosque to the Muslim community. A five-acre plot was later allocated for the project, and the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation took responsibility for its development.
The foundation had originally proposed a large complex comprising a mosque, a 300-bed multi-speciality hospital and a library. Those plans have now changed because of a shortage of funds.
Foundation Chairman Zufar Ahmad Faruqi said donations received so far do not support the original proposal. He said the trust now plans to construct a much smaller mosque.
Foundation Secretary Athar Husain said the revised project requires between Rs 30 million and Rs 50 million. The trust has collected about Rs 15 million in donations until now.
Officials said the hospital and library have been dropped from the current plan because of the funding gap.
The Ayodhya dispute remained one of India’s longest-running religious issues. The city drew global attention after the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992, an event followed by nationwide riots in which about 2,000 people lost their lives, with Muslims forming the majority of the victims.
While the mosque project has slowed because of financial constraints, the Ram Temple at the disputed site was completed and inaugurated before the 2024 general elections.
The foundation said its immediate priority is raising enough funds to complete the revised mosque project on the allotted land.
