In a significant development, the Yogi Adityanath government of Uttar Pradesh has ordered closure of all liquor shops in Ayodhya and Mathura. The decision has been taken keeping in mind the religious sentiments of devotees who visit Shri Ram temple in Ayodhya and Shri Krishna temple in Mathura.
All the liquor and narcotics (ganja) shops in the 10-km radius of these temples have been shut down.
The order has come into effect from Wednesday (June 1). There is no permission to run meat shops at the two places.
Licenses of model shops, bars etc at the two places have also been cancelled. The government has advised them to turn to dairy business.
In September last year, CM Yogi Adityanath had announced that government would ban the sale of meat and liquor in Mathura as demanded by the devotees.
Shri Yogi Adityanath was in Ayodhya on Wednesday (June 1) and “performed Shila Pujan at the site of Garbha Gruha of Shri Ram Janmabhumi Mandir”. Since coming to power in 2017, Shri Adityanath ahs made multiple visits to Ayodhya and has sanctioned many projects for the massive development of the pilgrimage city.
In a landmark judgment in November 2019, the Supreme Court handed over the entire 2.77 acres of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi to Hindus. On August 5, 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed the bhoomipoojan in Ayodhya. The temple is expected to be thrown open to the devotees in December 2023.
A petition has been filed in the Mathura court for court-monitored survey of the Idgah which Muslims claim is a mosque.
A similar survey of the Gyanvapi structure was completed recently on the orders of the district court in Varanasi. The report submitted in the court revealed that the Gyanvapi structure has multiple swastikas and trishuls on its walls. A Shivalinga was also found in the compound.
The renovation work of Kashi Vishwanath Dham was completed recently.
