The government has formed a monitoring and coordination committee in a bid to streamline the excavation of sand, stones, soils and aggregates, among others, from the rivers and ponds.
Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration (MoFAGA) has recently formed a committee in coordination of the Chief of the District Coordination Committee (DCC) to regulate the riverbed excavation, according to Joint-Secretary of the MoFAGA Purusottam Nepal.
Joint-Secretary Nepal shared that latest move is made to curb the wanton extraction of soil, stone and aggregates from the rivers and ponds in the country.
The Committee would comprise DCC Deputy-Chief, Chief District Officer, District Police Chief, District Forest Offices under the provinces, office of the Environment and Soil Conservation Monitoring Committee, engineers and officials from the DCC in respective districts.
According to Nepal, the committee could issue necessary orders to the local units concerning the excavation of the sand, soil and aggregates.
Furthermore, the committee would keep in check whether the conditions of the environmental studies report were abide by or not for excavation, if permit has been obtained for excavation or not and whether there was any leakage of revenue collected from the excavation and illegal trading of the excavated materials, among others.
Moreover, the Committee would also coordinate efforts with the concerned local units to see if the crusher industries were operative in compliance with the criteria while determining the rate for the sales and purchase of the excavated materials.
The Committee has also authorized the local units' concerned authority to curb the excavation of sand, soil and aggregates if the entrepreneurs involving in this trade did not comply with the rules, regulations and criteria, Joint Secretary Nepal said.
