A significant setback has hit the proposed mosque construction in Ayodhya’s Dhannipur village. The Ayodhya Development Authority (ADA) has formally rejected the building plan, citing a crucial absence of no-objection certificates (NOCs) from various government agencies. This revelation came via a Right to Information (RTI) query, confirming that the mosque trust’s application, originally submitted in June 2021, lacked necessary clearances from departments spanning Public Works, Pollution Control, Civil Aviation, Irrigation, Revenue, Municipal Corporation, and Fire Services. This development is particularly notable given the land was allocated to the State Sunni Central Waqf Board following a Supreme Court directive.
This five-acre plot was granted to the Sunni Central Waqf Board by the Supreme Court’s landmark judgment on November 9, 2019, specifically for building a mosque and associated facilities at a prominent Ayodhya location.
Formal possession of the Dhannipur village land, situated approximately 25 km from Ayodhya town, was officially handed over to the Board on August 3, 2020, by the then District Magistrate, Anuj Kumar Jha.
According to the RTI response, filed by journalist Om Prakash Singh, the ADA confirmed that the mosque trust had paid ₹4,02,628 in application and scrutiny fees for the project.
Expressing dismay over the rejection, Athar Husain, secretary of the mosque trust, stated, “The Supreme Court mandated this land for the mosque, and the Uttar Pradesh government officially allotted the plot. I am genuinely perplexed as to why various government departments have withheld their no-objection, leading to the authority’s rejection of our mosque plan.” Husain further highlighted a specific concern raised during a fire department inspection: the approach road, intended for both the mosque and a hospital building, requires a minimum width of 12 meters, but the current access measures only about six meters, narrowing to just four meters at the main entrance.
He concluded by noting, “Beyond the Fire Department’s concern, I am unaware of the specific objections from any other departments.”