LUCKNOW, July 30 -- With demand for plots and houses surging after the inauguration of the Ram Mandir, the Uttar Pradesh Housing and Development Board has decided to fast-track all housing projects in Ayodhya, officials said. The move is part of a broader development plan aimed at improving living standards and easing congestion in the old city. The Board has asked the Ayodhya Development Authority (ADA) to expedite the acquisition of 1,400 acres for various housing projects, they said. Among them is the Vasisth Kunj phase-2 which will come up on the Ayodhya-Basti road. Online applications for phase-one of the project are already over. Now, the Board wants to expedite the second phase of the project for which land has to be acquired, officials added. Vasisth Kunj is a mega housing project in Ayodhya, which includes both residential and commercial plots. The project is coming up on NH -27 in Firozpur Uparhar. The Board has also asked ADA to submit a detailed report of 27 projects, including Sita Rasoi. P Guru Prasad, principal secretary, housing and urban planning, has asked ADA to expedite the Green Field Township project. This mega township project proposed in 1,800 acres is considered to be one of the most ambitious projects of the state government in Ayodhya. The Housing and Development Board has also decided to help those hoteliers who are not able to purchase land directly from farmers for their projects. Prasad has directed ADA to them in acquiring land from farmers, officials said. The temple town is set for 873 square-km expansion under phase-2 of the Ayodhya Master Plan- 2031 with the inclusion of 343 villages from Ayodhya, Basti and Gonda districts. According to ADA, the phase-2 of the Master Plan 2031 covers 873 square km, including Ayodhya Nagar Nigam, Bhadarsa Nagar Panchayat and Nawabganj Nagar Palika Parishad (Gonda), along with 154 villages from Ayodhya, 126 from Basti, and 63 from Gonda. According to Ashwini Pandey, vice-chairman of ADA, the plan has been prepared by taking into account the estimated population of Ayodhya in 2031 which is likely to be 14 lakh....