Since the 2019 Ram Janmabhoomi judgment, an infrastructure push by the government and speculation about Ayodhya’s economic potential has continued to give a fillip to the town’s real estate sector. But this realty boom has conflicting realities, as reflected in the chasm between the land’s market rates and circle rates.

On one hand are hundreds of local residents, who can’t exploit Ayodhya’s real estate opportunities as much as the town’s other residents – as their land has been acquired by the government for compensation based on circle rates that have remained unchanged since 2017, unlike neighbouring districts Gonda, Basti, Barabanki and Sultanpur. 

And on the other are Ayodhya’s large property transactions, many involving the Ram temple trust.