Ayodhya news: Lights worth ₹50 lakh stolen on roads leading to Ram Mandir

Ayodhya news: Nearly 3,800 bamboo lights and 36 Gobo projectors worth ₹50 lakh were found missing on Bhakti Path and Ram Path key routes to reach Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, reported news agency PTI.

According to a PTI report, private firms, Yash Enterprises and Krishna Automobiles, had installed as many as 6,400 bamboo lights on Ram Path and 96 gobo projector lights on Bhakti Path. Bhakti Path is the main road leading to Ayodhya's Ram temple, connecting Shringar Ghat to Hanuman Garhi and finally to the temple.

Another key route in Ayodhya, Ram Path, is a 13-km-long highway that links Sadatganj to Naya Ghat. Ram Path intersects Bhaki Path, enabling commuters to travel directly to Ram Mandir.

In an FIR filed with the police on August 9, the private firms informed that as many as 3,800 bamboo and 36 projector lights worth over ₹50 lakh installed on Bhakti Path and Ram Path, located in a high-security area in Ayodhya, were allegedly stolen, police told PTI on Tuesday.

The police filed an FIR after a complaint was lodged at Ram Janmabhoomi police station on August 9 from a representative of the firms which installed the lights on the routes. The two were awarded the contract to install lights on the routes by the Ayodhya Development Authority

“As many as 6,400 bamboo lights were installed on Rampath and 96 projector lights were installed on Bhakti Path. Till 19 March all the lights were there but after an inspection on May 9, it was found that some lights were missing,” PTI quoted a statement mentioned in the FIR.

"Till now around 3,800 bamboo lights and 36 projector lights have been stolen by some unknown thieves," Shekhar Sharma, a representative of the firm, said in the complaint.

According to the news agency, the incident of missing street lights came to light in May, but the company filed the complaint about the same on August 9. The police told PTI that the matter has been registered and an investigation is underway.

The temple town of Uttar Pradesh, Ayodhya, underwent a massive makeover and renovation ahead of the January 22 Ram temple consecration ceremony.