For over a month now, the Ayodhya municipal corporation has been facing an unlikely problem -- removing a huge pile of dumped footwear at the Ram temple over a change in the crowd management measures in place for devotees.
Abandoned footwear 'in lakhs' are being collected daily from the entry gate of the temple using JCB machines which are then loaded onto trolleys and taken away to be dumped at a spot 4-5 km away, officials of the municipal corporation said.
According to officials, at Gate 1 of the temple, the primary entrance situated on Ram Path, devotees are asked to deposit their footwear. After completing a circular route of roughly half a kilometre inside the temple premises, people make their way to the same gate to collect the footwear.
However, to manage the rush, the Ayodhya administration redirects people to exit via Gate 3 and other gates -- this is a 5-6 km journey to retrieve their shoes.
Many just abandon the footwear and leave the temple barefoot, officials said.
Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust member Anil Mishra said there has been a rise in visitors due to the Maha Kumbh.
"Changes have been made in the arrangements for the past 30 days to ensure that the unexpected crowd of devotees can easily have darshan without any chaos," Mishra said.
"Gate 3 of the temple complex has been opened. After visiting the temple, devotees are being guided out through this gate. So after the darshan, devotees proceed past Shri Ram Hospital. Due to the one-way track on Ram Path, devotees have to walk 5-6 km again to reach the shoe removal area," Mishra said.
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