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Change of canopy sparks row in Ayodhya

"We contacted IIT-Roorkee for the job considering their well-known expertise in fire-proofing," Faizabad divisional commissioner Surya Prakash Mishra told reporters, adding that the IIT experts' team would be visiting the site for a preliminary survey on August 30.

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The Faizabad district administration has asked experts from IIT-Roorkee to provide a fireproof canopy over the makeshift Ram temple in Ayodhya. But, the move has already set off a controversy, even though the work is to be done under the orders of the Supreme Court, under the strict eye of judicial observers appointed by the court.

While the Muslim parties to the Ayodhya dispute are wary that this could be part of a conspiracy by the Hindutva forces to exploit the opportunity to raise the demand for a permanent structure in place of the present temporary one, a prominent Hindu seer has called for an enquiry into how the canopy has been damaged within a year of being replaced.

"We contacted IIT-Roorkee for the job considering their well-known expertise in fire-proofing," Faizabad divisional commissioner Surya Prakash Mishra told reporters, adding that the IIT experts' team would be visiting the site for a preliminary survey on August 30.

On August 11, a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court had allowed changing of the damaged tarpaulin cover over the makeshift Ram temple in Ayodhya while hearing a petition filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy. The work would be carried out with two additional judges and representatives of the Sunni Waqf Board, a party in the dispute, as observers.

After the 1992 demolition, the Supreme Court had prohibited any new construction in and around the disputed site.

The oldest litigant in the case, Mohd Hashim Ansari says there might be some "mischief" behind Swamy's petition. "He (Swamy) is a cunning person. He could be plotting something," he told reporters after the apex court order for change of the damaged canopy. Ansari said the order could trigger off fresh demands from saffron brigade leaders for the construction of a Ram temple there.

The expenses of the canopy change would be met out of the offerings the devotees make to the lord, a senior Faizabad district administration official said, adding that it could be anywhere between Rs3 to 5 lakh.

The damage to the tarpaulin was noticed first in November last year, about three months after it had been replaced on the apex court's order.

"In past years, the tarpaulin had never been damaged, and its minimum age was three years. It was said to be waterproof and of the best quality. Then how did it get damaged so easily," said Ranjeet Lal Sinha, counsel of the Nirmohi akhara, a party on the Hindu side in the title suits.

"Inferior quality material has been deliberately used so that the demand for a permanent structure over the disputed shrine can be raised in the Supreme Court. This is the hidden agenda of the VHP," said Khaliq Ahmad Khan, a petitioner from the Muslim side.

Inquiry needed
Gyan Das, mahant of the famous Hanumangarhi Temple of Ayodhya, has demanded an inquiry into how the tarpaulin cover got damaged. He pointed out that the canopy had been replaced only last year. "This is a high security area. How did the covers get damaged? This calls for an inquiry," he said.

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