Allegations of corruption in MP’s Ramraja Lok project:Sandstone worth ₹52/sq ft purchased at ₹335/sq ft; illegal mining suspected

Major corruption has surfaced in the construction of Ramraja Lok in Orchha. An investigation found that the sandstone being used in the project is available in the market for about ₹52 per square foot, but it was purchased at ₹335 per square foot, over five times the actual price. The irregularities do not end there. The quarry supplying this stone is allegedly illegal. The Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation is building Ramraja Lok over more than 32 acres at a total cost of around ₹332 crore. About ₹35 crore worth of sandstone is planned for use in the project. Construction of the first phase has been underway for two and a half years, during which sandstone worth ₹10 crore has already been installed. However, according to market rates, only about ₹2 crore worth of stone should have been used so far, and roughly ₹7 crore would be sufficient for the entire project. To uncover how the alleged scam was executed, the Dainik Bhaskar team spent 10 days visiting mines from Orchha and Datia to Ganjbasoda. Reporters met mine owners posing as customers, spoke to labourers as workers, and examined government documents, revealing multiple layers of irregularities. Key Point of Bhaskar Investigation PWD’s Schedule of Rates Not Used When the construction of Ramraja Lok was announced, it was decided the complex would be built with stone to preserve its grandeur for centuries. Since Bundelkhand is known for its stone quarries, sandstone from Ganjbasoda and stone from Datia and Sagar were planned for use. Sources said the rate of construction materials is usually determined by the Public Works Department’s (PWD) Schedule of Rates (SOR). However, Tourism Department officials claimed that the carved and thick stone work planned for Ramraja Lok was not included in the PWD’s SOR. Following this, officials of the MP Tourism Board formed a committee and prepared a new SOR specifically for Basoda stone, Datia stone, and Gwalior Mint stone works. In this new SOR, the cost of installing stone was fixed at ₹3,611 per square meter (₹335 per square foot). How the investigation was done? First part of investigation – Scrutiny of PWD’s SOR According to rules, when an SOR is prepared for a new material, a committee first determines the market rate by inviting at least three quotations. The final rate is fixed by adding labour charges and a contractor’s profit margin of 10–15% to the market price. However, when Bhaskar examined the 500-page PWD SOR, it found details that Tourism Department officials were allegedly hiding. Point 11.45 of the PWD SOR sets the rate for installing 40 mm thick sandstone at ₹642 per square metre (about ₹60 per square foot). Even after adding extra work such as spacers and grouting, which carries an additional 5% cost as per point 11.103, the rate would not exceed ₹674 per square metre (about ₹62.5 per square foot). How 5-fold game was played by making minor alterations MPT officials resorted to minor alterations to avoid PWD’s SOR. Regarding this, Senior Structure Engineer Suyash Kulshrestha says that all government works are done according to PWD’s SOR. The rates for all items are fixed in it. The new SOR created by MPT officials is not appropriate. Second part of the investigation – finding the source and rate of the stone It was found from Orchha that the stone is coming from Basoda It became clear from the document that MPT officials ignored PWD’s SOR. Now, the stone for which MPT has fixed the rate at 335 rupees per square foot, where is it finally coming from? To find this out, the Bhaskar team first reached the construction site of Ramraja Lok in Orchha. Talking to laborers and local people here, it became clear that the stone being used extensively in the construction is coming from Ganjbasoda, but from which mine in Ganjbasoda? This was a big question. Contacted mine operators as customers The team then reached Ganjbasoda and, posing as customers planning to build a large temple, contacted several stone vendors seeking 10,000 square feet of 40 mm thick stone of the same quality used in Ramraja Lok. Smaller traders could not handle such a large order and referred them to bigger suppliers. Eventually, the team reached the stone-cutting unit of Manish Samaiya, one of the city’s largest suppliers. Employee said – Our stone is going to Ramraja Lok Reporters reached Samaiya’s unit as customers. The conversation there peeled back the first layer of the scam. Stone being supplied from illegal mine The next day, our team scheduled a meeting with mine owner Manish Samaiya at the mine itself. The meeting at the mine, located approximately 30 kilometers from Ganjbasoda, on the Udaipur road, also exposed the criminal aspect of this scam. Conversation at the mine Reporter: Sir, we had spoken about stones for the temple. Manish Samaiya: Yes, you will get them. You need the 40 mm stone, right? For the past year, stones from our mine have been going to Ramraja Lok. Don’t worry, we will give you the same stone. Reporter: How many trucks will be needed for 10,000 square feet? Manish: Only about 4,000 square feet of 40 mm stone fits in one truck. I’ll give you a bill for the journey, show it if anyone asks, and tear it up after reaching. This practice of issuing temporary or ‘raw’ bills indicated illegal mining and tax evasion. When the reporter asked to see the mine, Samaiya took him about 500 metres inside on a motorcycle. Two JCBs, several tractors, and labourers drilling into stones were seen extracting material. Reporter: What are they doing? Manish: They drill the stone, fill it with dynamite, and then blast it. The reporter entered the mine, observed the workers, and even saw dynamite lying there. On the way back, riding with a mine employee, another revelation came out. Reporter: What are the land rates here? Driver: Here? This is all forest land. Reporter: Then how is mining allowed? Driver (after a pause): Everything gets done. Officials say lord Ram’s work won’t stop Allegations of favouring contractor, illegal mining Orchha social worker Yaduvendra Yadav alleged that the contractor for the project had been decided in advance. He claimed the company began stockpiling large quantities of stone at the construction site even while the tender process was still underway. Yadav said he submitted geo-tagged photos as evidence, but no action was taken. Meanwhile, Vidisha DFO Hemant Yadav admitted that no mining lease on forest land is valid. He said many old leases exist on revenue land near forest boundaries, and mining mafias often extract stone from forest areas but transport it by showing it as coming from revenue land, making action difficult..