Around three dozen crusher plants are operating in the Chure hill area in Bara and Makwanpur. The crusher operators are said to be exporting stones to the bordering towns of India. Locals even claim that Indian businessmen have invested in the crusher plants. [break]
To make matters worse, these plants are set up in the buffer area of Parsa Wildlife Reserve (PWR). This also poses the threat of wild animals entering human settlements.
According to PWR, the numbers of wild animals in the reserve have decreased substantially due to the human encroachment on their habitat. A few years ago, 81 spotted deer from Godawari in Lalitpur had been relocated to PWR. But, 16 of them have already fallen prey to poachers.
According to the Nilamber Mishra, a warden at PWR, aquatic animals are the hardest hit.
“Scarcity of water due to the drying sources has posed a threat to the existence of mugger crocodile in the reserve,” said Mishra. “Noise produced by motor vehicles and the crusher plants have terrorized the wild animals,” he added. “We have been trying our best to control illegally running crushers but they enjoy the backing of the District Development Committee,” claimed Mishra.
As per the Supreme Court ruling, crusher factories in the Chure forest area must be relocated by 2070 BS.
Similarly, locals have also been facing drinking water sources as the water sources in the area are drying up. “Water sources near our village have dried up,” said Hemraj Praja, a local. .
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