Following the ban on crusher operations, not only have development and construction works underway in the district been affected, but road upgrading work has also come to a standstill.
What you should know
Crushers illegally placed in various locations in the district by a construction company working on development projects have been banned from operating since a week ago.
Not only have various problems arisen while mining gravel and sand by exploiting the Jathabhabi River, but also after locals have been protesting, the Salyan Gravel, Sand and Riverine Material Excavation and Management Committee decided to ban the operation of the illegally operated crusher a week ago.
After the ban on the operation of the crusher, not only have the development and construction works underway in the district been affected, but road upgrading work has also come to a standstill. After the District Disaster Management Committee, Salyan, created pressure to legalize the crusher, the contractors of the construction company are now busy collecting documents.
In the course of carrying out various development and construction works, the construction company had brought six crushers into operation, including on the banks of the Sharda River in Kalimati Rural Municipality-2, in Banagad Kupinde Municipality-8, in Triveni Rural Municipality-3, near Tharmare in Bagchaur Municipality, and near Badagaun in Kumakh Rural Municipality.
Out of the six in operation in various places in the district, except for the Tharmare-Badagaun-Ragechaur road section, all of them have been banned as they are illegal, said Belaram Rawal, coordinator and district coordination chief of the Ballast, Sand and Riverine Material Excavation and Management Committee Salyan.
He informed that since the past, various problems have been caused by the crushers operating in various places in the district, and after repeated complaints, the crusher operation has been banned to give legality.
‘We have demanded documents that the development and construction companies that have been banned by the Ballast, Sand and Riverine Material Excavation and Management Committee have obtained permission from the local level, paid taxes, registered, and conducted an environmental test while excavating gravel and sand from the river,’ he said. ‘The crushers that provide the documents will be put into operation. It will be closed if it cannot be delivered.'
Member of the Ballast, Sand and Riverine Material Excavation and Management Committee and Chairman of the Disaster Management Committee, Chief District Officer Netra Prasad Subedi said that the illegally operated crusher has been closed until it is legalized after it started exploiting the area indiscriminately in the name of ballast and sand excavation for development work and taking personal benefits. He informed that if it is legalized, it will be allowed to operate again.
'In the name of ballast and sand excavation for development work, construction companies are exploiting rivers using JCBs and dozers outside the specified area against the standards. Due to this, aquatic animals have started disappearing, and water sources and cultivable land have also been affected. The risk of landslides has increased and the environment has also been affected,' he said.
After the construction company banned the operation of crushers installed in various places in the district, the road upgrading work carried out not only by the Infrastructure Development Office Salyan but also by various municipalities has been completely affected and has been stopped for a few days, said Office Chief Navin Thapa. He informed that many projects will not be completed on time this year if the suspended crushers cannot be put into operation.
