Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh cabinet on Tuesday approved a proposal from Tata Sons to construct a 'museum of temples' in Ayodhya, with an estimated cost of Rs 650 crore, officials said. The cabinet meeting was chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow.
Tourism Minister Jaivir Singh disclosed that the tourism department will allocate land to the company for this international-level museum on a 90-year lease for a token money of Re 1. "Tata Sons had proposed the project through the Central government, offering to build the museum at a cost of Rs 650 crore under its corporate social responsibility fund," Singh said at a press meet after the cabinet meeting.
He said that the cabinet also approved Tata Sons' proposal for additional development works in Ayodhya, totalling Rs 100 crore. Tata Sons, the principal investment holding company and promoter of Tata Companies, will undertake these development projects in the temple town.
Other proposals approved by Cabinet
During the cabinet meeting, several other proposals were approved, including the launch of helicopter services in Lucknow, Prayagraj, and Kapilvastu under the public-private partnership (PPP) model, with the construction of helipads, said Minister Singh.
Additionally, the cabinet gave the green light to a proposal aimed at transforming dormant heritage buildings into tourist attractions. Specifically, three heritage sites — Kothi Roshan Dulha in Lucknow, Barsana Jal Mahal in Mathura, and Shukla Talab (pond) in Kanpur — have been earmarked for development as tourist spots, he said.
He added that under the Mukhya Mantri Tourism Fellowship Programme, researchers will be selected for this purpose.
Urban Development Minister A K Sharma and Finance Minister Suresh Khanna were also present at the press conference where these decisions were announced.
(With PTI inputs)
