Among the hills of Lele Nallu's Damsidol Community Forest, about 25 saplings look so desolate that there are no trees, only rocks like landslides. This is not the case, for years, the miners here have been carrying more than one and a half/two hundred trips of stone using heavy equipment such as excavators, JCVs, etc.

The hills have been eroded, the Nallu river, the source of water, has been made a tripper's road. There is noise pollution around the nearby school due to the loud noise of the crusher industry. Dust, mud and gravel from the crusher industry are mixed directly into the river. Locals also filed complaints to the government agencies many times against the businessmen's operation of mining by massaging forests. However, there was no hearing from anywhere. The mine continues to run uninterrupted. 

In 2068, the Parliament's Natural Resources Committee directed the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers to close the mine. The Godavari Municipality of Lalitpur also decided to close the illegally operated mines in Lele Nallu area within 2077. But, ironically, the complaints of the locals have not been heard nor have the directives of the Parliament's Natural Resources Committee been implemented. The relevant bodies have become silent spectators. Even the Godavari municipality has not been able to transfer the mining area

photos: Deepak KC/Kantipur

According to the locals, there is now a massive stone quarrying in the collusion of Damsidol Community Forest Masser Birendra Maharjan of Lele Nallu area, Godavari Municipality-6 Ward President Bishnuman Maharjan and local Shyam Shrestha. is happening Locals allege that the three of them are also operating a crusher industry by mixing Damsidol community forest area. 

According to the locals, businessmen have cleared about 25 saplings of forest area by using four to five excavators daily. Aviral Dhunga Roda industry is also extracting stone by massaging forests. Madhusudan Dotel is the owner of Aviral Dhunga Roda Udyog. Locals allege that Dotel is also operating a crusher industry by mixing Nallu river. Shanti Ganesh, Kantipur, Sangrila and Sagarmatha Roda stone industries have directly mixed the dust, soil and gravel produced from their crushers in the Nallu river. 

About 150 households in Tikabhairav, Radha village, Gaurigaon of Lele Nallu area are suffering due to the crusher industry operating against the norms. According to section 25 of the Mines and Minerals Act, 2042, if someone excavates without obtaining permission in accordance with the Act, the equipment, tools, tools and goods used and the minerals mined in an unauthorized manner may be confiscated, fined up to one lakh rupees and compensation for the loss of property can be made.

Similarly, if the permit holder does not comply with the order according to the law, the department can suspend the excavation or even cancel the license. There is a provision to pay a fine of up to one lakh rupees and reasonable compensation based on the loss, if there is damage to the mine or mineral reserves due to non-compliance of instructions or orders, if there is famine or if there is an injury or loss to someone's life or property. However, the relevant government agencies have not shown interest in enforcing the law.

After repeated complaints by local residents, a week ago, a team including chiefs of District Coordination Committee Lalitpur, Godavari Municipality, Lalitpur Division Forest Office, District Police Complex Lalitpur, also monitored the mines operating in Lele Nallu and Devichaur areas. But the monitoring report has not been made public. 

Rishidev Phuyal, head of District Coordination Committee Lalitpur, argued that without the report being prepared, the directive to close the illegally operated mines cannot be given. Hem Bahadur Thapa, the head of the Division Forest Office, claimed that the person who was digging the stone by massaging the forest was arrested with an excavator and a case was also filed. "Even now we are in the process of preparing a report on how many forests have been cleared by which mines," he said. He said that all illegal mines will be closed. 

Illegal stone quarrying is not only in Lele Nallu area but also in Lalitpur's Godavari Municipality-7 Devichaur. In August 2080, the Department of Mines had written to Godavari Municipality, District Administration Office and District Police Office Lalitpur to take legal action against Machhindranath Multi-Propose, saying that it is operating stone quarrying and crusher industry on public land in the National Forest.

Similarly, the crusher industry operated by Bahubali Construction in Devichaur and the mine operated by Machhindranath Concrete Industries are throwing stones, soil, gravel, sand and stone dust in Wagmati, saying that there is a possibility of damaging the fast track. Correspondence was sent to Municipality-7 Devichaur. But the District Coordinating Committee of Lalitpur, the body responsible for mining monitoring, is silent on this matter. 

In the Devichaur area, separate groups are stealing stones at night from the National Forest. According to the locals, 60 trips are being collected daily by using 3 dozers. Due to such illegal activities, the state is losing lakhs of rupees in revenue every day. Currently, 7 crusher industries are operating in Devichaur area by Easy Roda Stone Industry, Wagmati, Bahubali, Buddha Stone, Shanti Ganesh, New Quality Advance, Timilsena Construction.