Crowd control steps help bring back some order in Ayodhya

Around 2.5 lakh devotees had a darshan at the Ram temple on Wednesday, Ayodhya DM Nitish Kumar said, adding that the temple administration had extended the time for darshan from 6 am to 10 pm.

Further, movement to Ayodhya via road from across Uttar Pradesh remained less crowded than expected today due to checks put in place owing to the heavy influx.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, while calling for additional buses to Ayodhya be suspended, also ordered redeployment of buses on busy routes from Ayodhya to take the devotees back to their home destinations. He also directed officials to coordinate with the railways for movement of devotees, along with road transport.


With improved systems in place, a day after 5 lakh devotees turned up in Ayodhya throwing the police and administration off guard on Tuesday, the situation was under control today.

Yogi Adityanath held a meeting on Tuesday with the local administration and the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra to review arrangements. The CM directed officials to implement a queue system and create holding areas for darshan. He also appealed to distinguished persons planning to visit Ayodhya, to inform the local administration, the temple trust or the state government a week in advance, to ensure a "well-managed reception".

Adityanath called for a team comprising the transport minister, chief secretary, DGP and other top officials to make necessary arrangements, in coordination with the temple trust.

Ajit Singh, spokesperson of the UP State Road Transport Corporation, which runs state-owned buses, told ET that on Wednesday, over 90 buses had gone from Lucknow to Ayodhya. Every day, 933 buses are scheduled to reach Ayodhya from various districts of the state. Singh said, not all scheduled buses are plying.