National
River sand pilferage thrives as authority fails to act
The district authorities here have been reluctant to control the extraction of river products from Indrawati River. Rampant extraction of sand, pebbles and stones has diverted the water flow in the river.Rastriya Samachar Samiti
The district authorities here have been reluctant to control the extraction of river products from Indrawati River. Rampant extraction of sand, pebbles and stones has diverted the water flow in the river.
The District Coordination Committee and Municipalities are found reluctant to strictly monitor laws regarding the extraction of river products. Though the DCC and Municipalities have enacted laws to manage the extraction of river products, it is yet to be implemented.
Crusher industries are operating along the Indrawati river side in a blatant violation of the law. Such industries should be operated at least 500 metres away from highways and river banks, and two kilometres from forest and reserve areas.
While most of the crusher industries are found operating in breach of this standard, the authorities are not paying attention to check the irregularities. The locals claim that the authorities concerned themselves are guilty in such irregularities. However, Melamchi Municipality Mayor Dambar Aryal said they were not getting such complaints in writing.
A local from Bahunpati complained that they could not sleep in the night due to noise pollution caused by the crusher industries. Chief of the Area Police Office in Melamchi, Inspector Parshuram Malla, said they were waiting for an authentic letter from the municipality to take action against the crusher operators who have breached the laws.
The crushers have created deep holes at several places along the riverbanks. Karsang Tamang, 19, died after he fell into a hole on April 19.