Hyderabad-based CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) took about a month during the peak COVID-19 pandemic to finalise the various geo-scientific studies at the Sri Rama Janmabhoomi Temple site before the construction began to ensure that the structure is built on a solid foundation and will be able to withstand a quake of up to 8.2 on the Richter Scale.
The premier institute was approached by the then DG-CSIR following a meeting with the chairman, construction committee, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust to investigate the site for seismic hazard, as the site lies in the Indo-Gangetic plain which is vulnerable to the hazards from the Himalayan earthquakes.
“We began the work in December 2020 during the pandemic and the report was handed over to the Kshetra Trust by mid-January 2021. We got our study reviewed by the independent third-party expert group before finalising the report and making the presentation to the stakeholders,” explained senior scientist Anand Kumar Pandey.
