It has been found that riverine materials are being excavated at Haraiya Ghat in Sahanitol, Barhathawa Municipality-1, Sarlahi.
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There is no contract for collecting riverine materials in the Bagmati River on the border of Rautahat and Sarlahi. But the regulatory bodies have remained silent while the river is being excavated indiscriminately.
Manalagdi riverine materials have been found to be being excavated at Haraiya Ghat in Sahanitol, Barhathawa Municipality-1, Sarlahi. When a team including Sarlahi House of Representatives member Narendra Sah Kalwar and Chief District Officer Ramuraj Kadariya reached the site for monitoring on Sunday morning, more than a dozen tippers and JCBs that were excavating in the river had fled towards Rautahat.
Gadhimai and Brindavan municipalities in Rautahat have contracted for riverine excavation in the Rautahat area. But the contractor side has entered towards Sarlahi and is excavating riverine materials. There have been repeated clashes between the locals and the contractor side here.
Locals have complained that the contractor is beating them up when they obstruct the Sarlahi route. They expressed their grief that the police did not pay any attention to the matter even after they informed the police post in Sahni Tole. According to the locals, the police are also in collusion with the illegal excavation of the river.
Even though the contract to extract riverine material was awarded in Rautahat, the contractor is indiscriminately excavating near the embankment towards Sarlahi, informed Ward Chairman Rakesh Sahni of Barhathawa Municipality-1. Large pond-like holes have been dug in dozens of places by arbitrarily excavating at Haraiya Ghat.
‘A contract has been awarded in Rautahat for the extraction of riverine material, but the contractor has been coming near the embankment of Sarlahi to extract riverine material,’ said Ward Chairman Sahni. ‘When locals try to obstruct, they resort to beatings, we are not even listened to.’ There is indiscriminate excavation here day and night, but we have no choice but to sit and watch.''
Chief District Officer Kadariya informed that illegal excavation was found to be taking place in the Bagmati River. He said that he immediately spoke to the Chief District Officer of Rautahat on the telephone and urged him to stop the indiscriminate excavation immediately. He said that he would hold a meeting of the officials of the two districts and take action on this issue. 'We understand that excavation is being done under contract in Rautahat,' said Chief District Officer Kadariya, 'No matter who has awarded the contract, such indiscriminate excavation cannot be done, we will immediately hold a meeting and take appropriate action.'
After receiving information from a team including the Chief District Officer, three excavators digging in the Bagmati River were found hidden in a nearby cornfield. Despite clear evidence of illegal excavation, the security team could not take control of the excavator and tipper.
Barhathawa Municipality Chief Administrative Officer Kridhiprakash Sitaula informed that the contract could not be awarded at the Sahani Tol Ghat on the Bagmati River. He said that the contract was not awarded because no company came to accept it even though the contract notice was issued.
Locals complain that river resources are being exploited indiscriminately from various ghats on the Bagmati River due to the lack of regular monitoring and regulation by the municipality and other related bodies to ensure that excavation is carried out according to standards. Locals complain that due to indiscriminate excavation, the area is at risk of erosion and flooding every year during the rainy season.
