The Rajasthan government has decided to seek as a matter of “highest priority”, central clearance under the Forest and Wildlife Acts for denotifying Bansi Paharpur block of Bharatpur’s Band Baretha wildlife sanctuary to allow mining of the unique pink sandstone that is found in the area.Over 1 lakh cubic feet of Bansi Paharpur sandstone, coveted for its unique pink shade, has already been sourced as the exclusive material for the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya where stockpiling began soon after the shilanyas in 1989.
Although on paper no mining was allowed after 2016, illegal operations continued — and the Bansi Paharpur sandstone remained available in the grey market. However, the supply has apparently dried up since the Bharatpur administration seized 25 trucks loaded with illegally mined pink sandstone in Bansi Paharpur on September 7.
Following the raid, functionaries of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in Ayodhya warned against blocking the supply of pink sandstone. “We wanted the Congress government in Rajasthan to understand that building the temple is the nation’s work. A solution has been found every time an obstruction came in its way. We will welcome any move to legalise the Bansi Paharpur mines,” Sharad Sharma, VHP’s regional spokesperson in Ayodhya, told.
In a communication marked “most urgent” on October 23, Rajasthan’s joint secretary (mines) O P Kasera asked the Director, Mines, to apply for denotifying the Bansi Paharpur block on the Union Ministry’s Parivesh portal as a matter of “highest priority”. Kasera declined to comment on what prompted the state government’s move.Asked if the mines were being legalised to facilitate the supply of pink sandstone to Ayodhya, Bharatpur District Magistrate Nathmal Didel said, “There is nothing in writing on supplying stone for any particular” purpose. “This stone is in high demand all over the country, and the decision has been taken after a joint survey by the revenue, mines and forest departments,” he said.
