Rajasthan begins legalising mines supplying stones for Ram temple
JAIPUR/LUCKNOW : The Rajasthan government has started the process to legalise mining in the Banshi Pahadpur area of Bandh Banetha wildlife sanctuary in Bharatpur district, from where stones are being sent to Ayodhya for building the Ram temple. The move comes days after seers in Ayodhya warned the Congress of facing people’s wrath if the supply of stones from Rajasthan slowed down. Vishwa Hindu Parishad and seers of Ayodhya on Saturday welcomed the Rajasthan government’s decision on legalizing the mines and said it would help speed up Ram temple construction.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had done bhoomi pujan for the Ram temple in Ayodhya on August 5, almost nine months after the Supreme Court resolved the Ayodhya land title dispute and allowed construction of the temple.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad, which has been sourcing stones from Banshi Pahadpur for some time now, had complained of supply getting stalled because of a crackdown on September 6 and 7 by Bharatpur district administration. The administration had claimed the stones were being illegally mined from Banshi Pahadpur, a forest block in the north-east corner of the wildlife sanctuary.
“The state government will send a proposal to the ministry of environment and forest (MoEF) by the end of this month for denotification of the forest land to legalise mining there (Banshi Pahadpur). This will provide employment to people and the state will earn revenue,” said Rajasthan’s additional chief secretary (mines) Subodh Agarwal.
“The Bharatpur collector is working on the proposal. We should be able to prepare the report in a few days. After the state’s approval, the proposal will be sent to the Centre,” he said.
MoEF mandated environment clearance for mines from June 1, 2016. These developments led to the closure of legal mines in the area but the famous pink stone continued to be mined illegally, said forest officials.
“The pink and yellow sandstone is in high demand. Illegal mining activity in the area feeds processing units in the district. The district administration takes action against illegal mining randomly,” said Bharatpur collector Nathmal Didel.
He said the Ram temple was being built with the sandstone from Banshi Pahadpur because of its unique colour and texture.
Meanwhile, VHP’s Ayodhyabased regional spokesperson Sharad Sharma said, “The Rajasthan government’s decision to make mining legal in Bansi Pahadpur is commendable.” Mahant Kamal Nayan Das, successor designate to Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, who is chairman of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, said, “The Rajasthan government has taken a wise decision. Lord Ram belongs to everyone. So, everyone must help in construction of Ram temple,” said Das.