Locals, including the Baijnath Toll Development Organization, have submitted a memorandum to the rural municipality, stating that the local roads are becoming dilapidated and dangerous due to the excessive operation of tipper trucks used for transporting limestone.
We use Google Cloud Translation Services. Google requires we provide the following disclaimer relating to use of this service:
This service may contain translations powered by Google. Google disclaims all warranties related to the translations, expressed or implied, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and noninfringement.
Locals of Baijnath Tole area of Udayapurgadhi Rural Municipality-8 have demanded a permanent solution, saying that the transportation of limestone from the mining area of Kasmas Cement Industry has caused serious problems in the roads, environment and agriculture.
Locals, including Baijnath Tole Development Organization, have submitted a memorandum to the rural municipality, saying that the local roads are becoming dilapidated and dangerous due to the excessive operation of tippers and trucks used for transportation of limestone. They have said that due to transportation of limestone, the roads become muddy and potholes during the rainy season and the problem of excessive dust during the dry season has made life difficult.
The memorandum states that since the raw materials from the mines are washed away with rainwater and piled up in the fields, agricultural production is decreasing and there is a risk of weakening the local agricultural system in the long term. According to local Meena Raut, as the road condition deteriorates, local residents, students, senior citizens and patients are facing difficulty in daily commuting, reaching schools and health institutions.
The association's chairperson Sharmila Tamang said that if there is no dialogue with the industry to resolve the problem, it has been decided to close the road indefinitely. 'There is a problem of overloading during stone transportation, and the production of agricultural land is also being directly affected due to the limestone during road maintenance,' she said.
According to local Rama Magar, houses around the road are also at risk due to excessive vibration and noise pollution when the transportation route runs through the middle of the settlement. She said that even though locals, stakeholders and industry representatives were called to discuss a permanent solution to the problem, the industry representatives did not attend the meeting. Although the local employees of the industry gave a verbal agreement to hold talks with the official representatives of the industry within five days, the locals have alleged that no information was received within the specified time.
The organization has urged the rural municipality to immediately organize a meeting in the joint presence of the industry, forest office, district administration office, local people's representatives, district police office and local community and take necessary initiatives for a permanent solution to the problem.
Kasmas Cement Industry has been extracting limestone from villages and forest areas including Sarune Pakha and Jalkeni Pakha of Udayapurgadhi Rural Municipality-4. Tippers carrying limestone reach Madan Bhandari Highway through human settlements via the Baijnath River in Udayapurgadhi Rural Municipality-8. Locals say that the risk of accidents has increased due to the excessive weight of the tippers and the small particles of stone spilling onto the road.
