Ayodhya, Oct 31 (IANS): A new Ayodhya township that will be constructed on 1,407 acres of land, will also have a lake connected to the Saryu River.

The National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee, has been roped in to construct the lake and connect it with the river Saryu.

The lake project, to be spread in 430-acre land, has been aptly named the blue and green corridor of the new Ayodhya township. The township project has been conceptualised to decongest existing Ayodhya.

The township aims to decongest the existing Ayodhya and will include residential plots, group housing, mutts and ashrams, guest houses, and commercial plots.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is expected to lay the foundation stone before the grand opening of the Ram Mandir in 2024. Various states have approached the Uttar Pradesh government for land in Ayodhya.

New Ayodhya township on 1,407 acres of land will come up on both sides of the Lucknow-Gorakhpur highway.

The housing and urban planning department of the Uttar Pradesh Housing Board will execute the new Ayodhya township project that will be extended later by 442 acres in the second phase.

The new township will have four link roads of 4.5 km each connecting it with the existing Ayodhya.

Housing Commissioner Ranvir Prasad said, “In the new township, around 367-acre land has been earmarked for residential plots. Group housing will come up on 93-acre. For mutts and ashrams, 55- acre land has been allotted and 60-acre land has been allotted for guest houses of foreign countries.”

Prasad said that plots in this town will be allotted to the ashrams as per their track record, image and the work currently being done by them.

Other than these, five-star hotels will also come up in this new township. The housing commissioner said that different states have approached the UP government seeking land in Ayodhya. Uttar Pradesh Housing Board has already allotted 6,000 square metres of land to Gujarat for their state guest house in new Ayodhya township.