A block at a wildlife sanctuary in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur will be denoted to allow for the extraction of its unique pink sandstone. This sandstone has been obtained as an exclusive material for the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Officials from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) had recently warned the congressional government against blocking this cornerstone, shortly after which the state government requested authorization from the Center as “top priority.”
According to a report by Indian express, more than 1 lakh cubic foot of the stone found in the Bansi Paharpur block of Bharatpur’s Band Baretha wildlife sanctuary has been obtained for the temple, where stone storage began shortly after the shilanyas in 1989.
The report indicated that although mining was not allowed on paper after 2016, illegal operations continued and the Bansi Paharpur sandstone remained available on the gray market. However, the supply has apparently dried up since the Bharatpur administration seized 25 trucks loaded with illegally mined pink sandstone at Bansi Paharpur on September 7.
After the raid, officials from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in Ayodhya warned against blocking the pink sandstone supply. “We wanted the congressional government in Rajasthan to understand that building the temple is a job of the nation. A solution has been found every time an obstruction gets in its way. We will welcome any steps to legalize the Bansi Paharpur mines. “Sharad Sharma, VHP regional spokesperson in Ayodhya, said IE.
In a communication marked “Most Urgent” on October 23, Rajasthan Deputy Secretary (Mines) OP Kasera asked the Mining Director to request the Bansi Paharpur block denotation on the Union Ministry’s Parivesh portal as a “Top priority” issue. Kasera declined to comment on what prompted the state government’s decision.
When asked if the mines were being legalized to facilitate the supply of pink sandstone to Ayodhya, Bharatpur District Magistrate Nathmal Didel said: “There is nothing written about supplying stone for any particular purpose.” “This stone is in great demand across the country, and the decision was made after a joint survey by the revenue, mining and forestry departments,” he said.
While the 199-square-kilometer Band Baretha wildlife sanctuary was notified in 1985, sandstone mines have been operational in the area since the 1960s. “Illegal mining has been rampant as our pink sandstone gets more (500 rupees per cubic foot) than the red sandstone of Dholpur. Whether it is the elephant statues throughout Uttar Pradesh or the Ram temple, this is the stone in demand. “Dilip Singh Rathore, who claimed to own the only “Legal mine that was forced to close in 2016 due to the ban,” he was quoted as saying.
Champat Rai, general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust and a senior VHP official, said the country’s best minds from IIT-Chennai and the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) are involved in the temple construction process. .
While Larsen & Toubro is handling the construction of the temple, IIT-Chennai has been consulted to test the strength of the soil and CBRI’s services are being used to make sure the building is earthquake resistant, it told reporters. here. About 10,000 copper rods are required to build the temple. Since people want to be part of the construction process, they can do so by donating copper, Rai said.
Using only stones, it will be built in such a way that decomposition due to air, sun and water does not occur and the temple will last at least 1,000 years, he added.
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