Nearly 500 families and children from two schools in settlements around roads in four wards have been affected by the dust.
What you should know
Residents of Kapurkot Rural Municipality-1, 2, 3 and 5 along the road connecting the coal mine to Rolpa have been suffering for a decade due to dust blown by tippers used to transport limestone.
Despite the agreement to repair, upgrade and blacktop the dilapidated road with potholes and dust for years, the residents of the settlement have been suffering due to the lack of interest from the concerned bodies, as the dust blown by the tippers enters the houses.
Nearly 500 families and children from two schools in the settlements around the road in four wards have been affected due to the dust. Children are forced to wear raincoats to go to school due to the dust blown by the tippers that carry more than their capacity for the cement industry in Dang from the coal mine in Rolpa. Locals complain that the health of children and the general public has been seriously affected due to the more than 100 tippers plying daily.
Tipper operators carrying limestone, raw material for the cement industry, the cement industry, and the limestone mining industry had also signed a seven-point agreement with the Kapurkot rural municipality in 2079 to upgrade the road from Kapurkot Bazaar to the coal mine in Rolpa. Angry locals have now started a protest demanding that the road be blacktopped. They have also been obstructing the operation of tippers in that section for a few days. After the locals protested and banned the operation of tippers, the municipality has also expressed support for the locals' protest.
Amar Bahadur BK, chairman of the Milan Market Management Committee, said that the locals are more affected by the large potholes on the road built in 2065 BS due to the tippers constantly driving along the road carrying limestone from Rolpa coal.
He said that the dust blown by the tippers makes it impossible to recognize people walking on the road for a while and that the walls of the houses are also dusty. 'Other small and large vehicles also drive in the Kapurkot coal section. But no other vehicle blows as much dust as the tippers. As soon as you know that the tippers are coming, you should close the windows and doors of the house. "You have to cover your face to avoid dust," he said. "People are afraid to walk on that road because tippers ply more in the morning and evening." After the locals protested in 2079 BS, tipper operators, Rolpa Cement Pvt. Ltd., Ghorahi Cement Industry, and Chundhunga Industry signed an agreement with Kapurkot Rural Municipality to upgrade and repair the road, but they showed no interest, so they were forced to start the protest again.
Not only locals but also school children are affected by the dust on the road. Prem Bhandari, director of the Model Child Development Boarding School, said that they are forced to wear raincoats and masks while going to school in the morning. He said that students also participated in the protest because school children are more at risk. "The agreement made in the past was limited to paper only. The demand has not been met so far. Now the protest will not be withdrawn until the road is blacktopped," he said.
The dust blown by tippers in winter has not only made it impossible to live in the houses around the road, but also forced the protest after seeing various problems. He said that even though the road, which was built in 2065 and started running on vehicles, was graveled once, the risk of accidents has also increased as more heavy-duty vehicles are used, he said. ‘During the rainy season, when the road becomes muddy and vehicles do not ply regularly, farmers have a hard time transporting their produce to the market to sell. Since they cannot reach the market on time, the harvested vegetables rot and go to waste,’ he said.
On the one hand, the poor condition of the road and on the other hand, the dust blown by tippers carrying limestone for the cement industry have made it unbearable, and so he supported the locals who have launched the protest. He informed that although the tipper businessmen, limestone industry, and cement industry agreed to provide financial support to the municipality annually for road improvement and the municipality would add some budget to it and carry out maintenance and improvement work, it has not been implemented yet.
After the locals protested three years ago, on 24th of Shrawan 2079, the tipper businessmen, cement, and limestone industry reached a seven-point agreement with Kapurkot Rural Municipality to provide 10 to 20 lakhs every year for road maintenance in partnership with the municipality, not to operate tippers during school opening and closing times, not to carry excessive loads, to pour water on the road to prevent dust, and to take initiatives with the federal government through the province to improve the road, but the locals have been protesting because they have not been followed up yet, said the municipality chair Durga Bahadur Pun. Stating that the locals' protest was justified, he said that the municipality is also taking initiatives for blacktopping the road.
