Lucknow, Mar 10 (IANS): The Uttar Pradesh government has initiated work on setting up a greenfield township in Ayodhya.

To be developed by December this year, 202 acres land out of 1,407 acres will be developed in Shahnevajpur Manjha village of the temple town in the first phase.

According to a state government spokesman, as the Lucknow-Ayodhya-Gorakhpur national highway is intersecting the township, the state government will request the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to develop a 2 km-long elevated route for the highway traffic.

"Preliminary consultations and deliberations have been held with NHAI. A formal proposal will be moved on behalf of the state government to construct an elevated corridor," said the officer.

Announced in October 2020, the scope of the project was broadened in April last year to include more spiritual elements and promote mixed land development.

The Uttar Pradesh Housing and Development Board (UPHDB) roped in consultants from Gujarat to examine the township's layout plan.

"We were told to develop the township in phases and generate interest among families looking to buy a property in the temple town. As land was acquired in Shahnevajpur, we will develop 202 acres in the first phase and a scheme offering group housing units and developed plots will be launched within this year. We have to prepare the township before the opening ceremony of the Ram temple scheduled for January 2024," said the spokesman.

Majority of the internal roads will be 18 metres or 36 metres in width and 24 per cent of the space within the overall township will be green zone.

UPHDB will develop land chunks on both ends of the highway to develop the first phase.

Superintending engineer of the housing board's Ayodhya division PK Singh said: "Three tenders have been floated to develop the first phase of the township. By March 31 we will shortlist the agencies which will develop infrastructure and design the elements in the first phase."