Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said that the government will announce the Ram Mandir trust before February 9. “The trust will be announced by February 9. The trust will then decide the way forward on constructing the temple,” Shah said at a summit organised by a news channel.

The significant remarks by the Union Home Minister come less than a month after he assured the public at a rally that a “sky-touching” RamT emple would come up in Ayodhya in four months. "I want to tell you that the Supreme Court verdict has come, a grand Ram temple touching the sky is going to be built in Ayodhya within 4 months," Shah was quoted as saying at a public meeting in Jharkhand’s Pakur on Dec 16.

Not long ago, the Supreme Court gave its ruling on Ayodhya,there was a demand of Indians from all over the world for 100 years that a grand Ram temple should be built at Ram Janmabhoomi, he said.

A dedicated desk for matters related to Ayodhya verdict

Earlier in the day, news agency PTI reported that thegovernment had set up a dedicated desk, headed by an additional secretary, tolook after all matters related to the Supreme Court verdict on the Ayodhyaissue.

In an official order, the Union Home Ministry said Ayodhyamatters and related court judgements will be handled by three officers, headedby Additional Secretary Gynesh Kumar.

The move bears significance in the wake of November 9judgement of the Supreme Court which allowed construction of a Ram Temple inthe disputed site in Ayodha.

The apex court also ordered handing over of a 5-acre plot toUttar Pradesh Sunni Waqf Board and setting up of a trust for construction ofthe Ram temple.

Now, this new wing of the home ministry, headed by Kumar,will look after all matters related to the Ayodhya issue.

There have been reports that the Uttar Pradesh governmenthas sent a proposal to the home ministry suggesting three plots in Ayodhya, oneof which can be given to UP Sunni Waqf Board.

"All such matters will be now handled by the new desk inthe home ministry," an official said.

Interestingly, Kumar also heads the Department of Jammu andKashmir and Ladakh affairs in the home ministry.

He was the key officer in the central government's move toabrogate the special status given to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcation of thestate into two Union Territories.

Till now, matters relating to Ayodhya and court casesrelated to Ram Janma Bhoomi and Babri Masjid dispute were handled by theInternal Security-I division of the home ministry, along with matters relatedto National Integration Council, Sikh militancy, Official Secrets Act, communalriots besides others.

There was a dedicated Ayodha cell in the home ministry inthe 1990s and early 2000s but it was closed down after the submission of the LiberhanCommission of Inquiry on Ayodha.

In the same order, the home ministry also said the InternalSecurity-II division has been merged with the Internal Security-I division andhenceforth it will be known as Internal Security-I division.

Joint Secretary (Women Safety) Punya Salila Srivastava hasbeen given the charge of the merged Internal Security-I division along with herpresent responsibility in the home ministry