{
  "type": "article",
  "title": "Seven Years After Ayodhya Verdict, Dhannipur Mosque Project Remains Stalled Due To Cash Crunch And Regulatory Hurdles",
  "summary": "Construction of the proposed Babri replacement mosque in Dhannipur has grounded to a complete halt as the trust struggles with a severe financial shortage and unapproved site blueprints.",
  "content": "Following the Supreme Court's historic November 2019 ruling on the Ram Janmabhoomi dispute, two distinct paths were set in motion. While the disputed 2.77 acres of land in Ayodhya was awarded for the construction of the Ram Mandir, the government allocated a 5-acre plot in Dhannipur village, located 25 kilometers from Ayodhya, to the Sunni Central Waqf Board for a new mosque. Today, while the Ram Temple stands virtually complete, not a single brick has been laid at the Dhannipur site. Surrounded by an iron fence to prevent encroachment, the vacant field is overgrown with wild grass, serving as a makeshift playground where local children play cricket.\n\nThe vision for the 5-acre site extended far beyond a place of worship. The comprehensive plan included a modern hospital, a medical college, and a cultural museum alongside the mosque structure. The ambitious multi-facility project carried an estimated budget of ₹300 crore. However, over the past five years, the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation trust has managed to secure only ₹1.5 crore in public donations. Compounded by a lack of mandatory clear NOCs and unpaid statutory development charges from local authorities, work never commenced. Facing severe constraints, the trust is now redrafting its plans to build a significantly scaled-down mosque, while local villagers express growing disillusionment.\n\nA Deserted Plot in Dhannipur\nTurning off the Ayodhya-Lucknow national highway leads to Dhannipur village, a settlement with a population of approximately three thousand residents, over 60 percent of whom are Muslim. Just a short distance from the main road lies the fenced 5-acre plot. Inside the boundary, there are no construction vehicles, building materials, or workers. Majid Khan, whose residence faces the empty plot directly, recalled the initial optimism following the top court's decision, noting that residents were eager for the promised healthcare facility and community developments.\n\nCurrently, there is no major medical facility within a 30-kilometer radius of the village. In medical emergencies, residents are forced to travel 150 kilometers to Lucknow for treatment. The proposed complex was expected to generate local employment, educational opportunities, and accessible healthcare. However, seven years after the court order, the site remains entirely undeveloped, leaving the local population doubtful about whether the complex will ever materialize.\n\nSevere Financial Shortfall Halts Progress\nOn August 3, 2020, the then Faizabad District Magistrate Anuj Kumar Jha formally handed over the land title to the Waqf Board. Subsequently, the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation was set up as the dedicated trust to oversee construction. In August 2021, the trust launched a public appeal for funds and shared its official banking details nationwide. Despite these efforts, by November 2022, the trust had accumulated only around ₹40 lakh in donations.\n\nZufar Ahmad Farooqui, Chairman of the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation, stated that after five years of effort, total collections reached barely ₹1.5 crore. Acknowledging that constructing a ₹300 crore complex with these funds is impossible, Farooqui indicated that the trust now plans to raise ₹5 crore internally through core supporters to initiate work on a much smaller, basic mosque. \n\nThe project's very first contribution of ₹21,000 came from Lucknow University Professor Rohit Srivastava. Expressing disappointment over the lack of progress, Srivastava noted that whenever he visits Ayodhya to offer prayers at the Ram Mandir, he makes a point to visit the Dhannipur site, only to find the plot remaining completely barren year after year.\n\nLocation Disconnect and Declining Public Interest\nDuring the initial phase of the project, promotional posters depicting the proposed 'Mohammad-bin-Abdullah' mosque were put up at the nearby Shahgada Shah Mazar in Dhannipur. Over time, as months passed without physical progress, those displays were gradually removed. Representatives associated with the project acknowledge that public engagement and interest among the local population in Ayodhya and Faizabad steadily dwindled.\n\nJournalist Arshad Khan, who was involved with the initiative during its early stages, highlighted that the Supreme Court judgment specified allocating land at a prominent location in Ayodhya. However, the site provided in Dhannipur sits 25 kilometers outside the city center, accessible primarily via narrow village roads lacking proper civic infrastructure. This distance created a disconnect among city residents who felt less inclined to commute for daily prayers or events. Initial assertions made by figures such as Mumbai businessman Haji Arafat Sheikh regarding symbolic building materials from Mecca and Medina also failed to translate into actual ground activity.\n\nRed Tape and Rejected Blueprints at Ayodhya Development Authority\nThe failure to obtain map approvals from the Ayodhya Development Authority stems primarily from technical and administrative non-compliance rather than political interference. When constructing a large-scale institutional complex open to the public, strict building bye-laws apply. The project encountered three major regulatory obstacles\n\n• Land Use Reclassification: The 5-acre parcel granted by the government was categorized as agricultural land. Before any institutional or commercial blueprints could be processed, the official land use designation had to be formally converted to institutional status, creating significant initial delays.\n• Pending Departmental NOCs: Obtaining final map clearance requires mandatory No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from multiple statutory departments, including the Public Works Department (PWD), Pollution Control Board, Fire Safety Department, Irrigation Department, and Municipal Corporation. Ayodhya Development Authority Secretary RK Mishra explained that building blueprints cannot be approved without verified safety, environmental, and structural clearances. The mosque committee failed to complete the formal submission process for these required NOCs.\n• Unpaid Development Charges: Once technical evaluations regarding road width and earthquake resistance are completed, project promoters must deposit prescribed development fees. According to the ADA, the mosque committee owes approximately ₹1.22 crore in mandatory development charges, without which layout sanctions cannot legally be issued.\n\nThe trust first submitted a map approval application on June 23, 2021, which was later withdrawn. A revised layout incorporating a smaller mosque footprint was resubmitted in 2023. However, because the trust did not submit the mandatory NOCs or upload required documents to the official portal by September 2025, the Ayodhya Development Authority officially rejected the application. Addressing the rejection, Trust General Secretary Athar Hussain stated that further administrative filings were paused due to funding constraints and that fresh map applications will be lodged once sufficient capital is secured.\n\nInternal Friction and Differing Perspectives\nThe persistent delays have drawn criticism from prominent figures involved in the original litigation. Iqbal Ansari, a litigant in the Babri Masjid legal case residing near Gate Number 11 of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple, raised concerns regarding how the government-allocated land managed by the Waqf Board was handed over to a private trust structure. Responding to these criticisms, General Secretary Athar Hussain acknowledged that internal communication and coordination had suffered due to operational hurdles, but affirmed that the trust intends to re-engage with a revised, practical plan moving forward.\n\nWhat this means for you\nAcross India: Public infrastructure and religious complex developments granted under landmark judicial verdicts require strict adherence to municipal NOC protocols and sustained capital allocation.\n\nIn Ayodhya: The stalled hospital and medical complex in Dhannipur forces thousands of local rural residents to travel 150 km to Lucknow for advanced emergency healthcare.\n\nQuestions & Answers\n\n1. Why has construction on the Dhannipur mosque not started yet?\nThe delay is caused by a severe funding shortfall, having raised only ₹1.5 crore against a ₹300 crore target, alongside unapproved building maps and missing departmental NOCs.\n\n2. What facilities were planned alongside the mosque in Dhannipur?\nThe original master plan included a modern hospital, a medical college, and a cultural museum spread across the allocated 5-acre land.\n\n3. Why did the Ayodhya Development Authority reject the map application?\nThe application was rejected because the trust failed to submit required NOCs from fire, PWD, and pollution departments, and did not pay ₹1.22 crore in statutory development charges.\n\n4. How far is Dhannipur village from Ayodhya city?\nDhannipur village is situated approximately 25 kilometers away from Ayodhya city along the Lucknow highway.",
  "url": "https://trendkia.com/en/investigations/ayodhya-phaisale-ke-7-sala-bada-bhi-dhannipur-masjida-ka-nirmana-thapa-phnda-ki-kami-aura-sarakari-mnjuri-bani-rukavata-10662",
  "category": "Investigations",
  "publishedAt": "2026-07-27",
  "tags": [
    "Ayodhya",
    "Dhannipur Mosque",
    "Babri Masjid",
    "Supreme Court",
    "Ayodhya Development Authority",
    "Indo Islamic Cultural Foundation"
  ],
  "language": "en",
  "site": "TrendKia"
}