EARNED ₹245CR BY AUCTIONING MINES FOR AYODHYA TEMPLE: RAJ GOVT

JAIPUR: Rajasthan has earned revenue of ₹245 crore by auctioning 38 mining blocks at Banshi Paharpur in Bharatpur district, from where red sandstone is being supplied for the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, according to state government data.

The auction was conducted in two phases -- from November 10 to December 3 -- through the Centre’s e-platform.

ACS (mines and petroleum) Subodh Agarwal said the government earned 17 times more revenue than the reserve price.

Two of the plots fetched a price of 42% more than expected. The mining plots cover an area of about 230 hectares, Agarwal said. A mining department official said 120 hectares in Banshi Paharpur have been reserved for Rajasthan State Mines and Minerals Limited, a state government undertaking. “With the start of legal mining in this area, according to a rough estimate, 10,000 people will get direct and indirect employment,” he said. Bharatpur and Dholpur are famous for red sandstone, but the Bansi Paharpur variety has a pinkish hue which makes it more beautiful and stronger, a trader said.