Ahead of the grand consecration ceremony at Ayodhya, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has given the country the first ‘darshan’ or glimpse of the magnificent Ram Temple as seen from space using our own indigenous satellites.

The 2.7-acre Ram Temple site can be seen and an enlarged view of the same is also provided using the Indian Remote Sensing series of satellites. The under construction temple was captured on December 16 last year, just about a month ago. Since then, dense fog over Ayodhya has made it difficult to get a clear view.

In the satellite images, Dashrath Mahal and Sarayu River are clearly seen. The newly renovated Ayodhya railway station is also visible.

India currently has over 50 satellites in space, and some of them have a resolution of less than a metre. The image has been processed by the National Remote Sensing Centre in Hyderabad, a part of the Indian space agency.

ISRO technologies have also been used at other stages of the temple’s construction. A big challenge in the grand project was to identify the exact location to place the idol of Lord Ram. The trust entrusted with building the temple wanted the idol to be placed in a 3 feet X 6 feet space where Lord Ram is believed to have been born.

Alok Sharma, International working President of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, is closely involved with the Ram Temple project. He told NDTV that following the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992, 40 feet of debris covered the spot where Lord Ram is believed to have been born. This debris had to be removed and the location secured so that the new idol is exactly and precisely at that spot.

This was easier said than done because construction of the temple began nearly three decades after the demolition. Then, space technology came to the rescue.

To identify the exact spot, contractors for construction firm Larsen & Toubro used the most sophisticated Differential Global Positioning System (GPS)-based co-ordinates. The co-ordinates, precise to nearly 1-3 centimetres, were drawn up. They formed the basis for the placement of the statue in the temple’s garba griha or sanctum sanctorum.

The precision equipment used in these geographical instruments also incorporates precise location signals from India’s own ‘swadeshi GPS’ — the ISRO-made ‘Navigation with Indian Constellation’ or the NavIC satellite constellation.

ISRO chairman S Somanath told NDTV that five satellites of the NAvIC constellation are working, and the system is currently set for an upgrade.

Amid a massive row, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi today reversed its decision to shut non-critical services till 2.30 pm tomorrow for the grand consecration event at Ayodhya Ram Temple.

This comes a day after the premier healthcare facility announced a half-day break for staff in non-critical services. While the official note did not specifically mention if Out Patient Department (OPD) services would be available, it was feared that outdoor patients would not be able to consult specialists during the break.

A memorandum issued by Rajesh Kumar, AIIMS-Delhi’s administrative officer, yesterday had referred to the central government’s announcement of a half-day for government employees tomorrow. “It is notified for information of all the employees that the Institute will remain half day closed till 14.30 hrs on 22.01.2024,” the memorandum said. It, however, added that “all critical clinical services” shall remain functional.

The notification sparked a huge outcry, with many pointing out that patients wait for weeks, and sometimes, months to get an appointment at the premier healthcare facility. To shut OPD services suddenly would severely inconvenience them, especially those who had travelled from outside Delhi in the hope of good, affordable healthcare at the state-run facility.

This morning, AIIMS-Delhi issued a fresh notification, stating that the OPD “shall remain open to attend to patients with appointment in order to prevent any inconvenience to them and to facilitate patient care”.

Safdarjung Hospital, another key healthcare facility in the national capital, has said OPD registration will take place between 8 am and 10 am and all registered patients will be attended to. The hospital will run pharmacy services till noon but elective surgeries won’t take place.

Earlier, Opposition leaders had strongly slammed the AIIMS announcement of a half-day break for the Ayodhya event. Rajya Sabha MP and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi had hit out at the move with a sarcastic post on X. “Hello humans, Please don’t go into a medical emergency on 22nd, and if you do schedule it for post 2pm since AIIMS Delhi is taking time off to welcome Maryada Purushottam Ram,” she had posted.

“PS: However, wonder if Lord Ram would agree that health services are disrupted to welcome him. Hey Ram, Hey Ram!,” she added.

Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale, too, criticised the move yesterday. “India’s largest Government Hospital AIIMS Delhi will remain closed till 2:30 pm on Monday. There are literally people sleeping outside in the cold at AIIMS gates waiting for an appointment. The poor and dying can wait because priority is given to Modi’s desperation for cameras and PR,” Mr Gokhale posted on X.

The centre has announced a half-day leave for government employees tomorrow so that they can watch live telecast of the pran pratishta ceremony in Ayodhya, last-minute preparations for which are underway.

Several states have announced half or full day leave for government offices and educational institutions tomorrow.

A plane that crashed in Afghanistan this morning is not an Indian aircraft, the government said today after Afghan local media reported the passenger plane was believed to be flying from Delhi to Moscow.

“The unfortunate plane crash that has just occurred in Afghanistan is neither an Indian scheduled aircraft nor a non-scheduled (NSOP)/charter aircraft. It is a Moroccan registered small aircraft. More details are awaited,” the Civil Aviation Ministry said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

The unfortunate plane crash that has just occurred in Afghanistan is neither an Indian Scheduled Aircraft nor a Non Scheduled (NSOP)/Charter aircraft. It is a Moroccan registered small aircraft. More details are awaited.

— MoCA_GoI (@MoCA_GoI) January 21, 2024

Russian aviation authorities said today a Russian-registered plane with six people thought to be on board disappeared from radar screens over Afghanistan the previous night, after local Afghan police said they had received reports of a crash.

Russian aviation authorities said in a statement the plane was a charter ambulance flight travelling from India, via Uzbekistan to Moscow on a French-made Dassault Falcon 10 jet manufactured in 1978, news agency Reuters reported.

The aircraft crashed in Badakhshan province, which borders China, Tajikistan and Pakistan but the exact site of the accident was unknown, news agency AFP reported quoting a local official.

“The plane has crashed, but the location is not known yet. We have sent teams, but they have not arrived yet,” Zabihullah Amiri, head of the provincial information department, told AFP, without giving further details. “We were informed by local people in the morning.”

The Hindu Kush mountain range cuts through the province, which is home to Afghanistan’s highest mountain, Mount Noshaq at 7,492 metres high.

With inputs from AFP and Reuters