BHARATPUR, May 5: The locals of Kalika municipality ward no 6, 7 and 8 in Chitwan district have been reeling under drinking water shortage owing to crushers run nearby water resources illegally and without meeting the criteria.

As many as 230 households which were getting drinking water facility from the Majhuwa Bulbule Drinking Water User Group and 222 other households from the Baansghari Majhuwa Drinking Water User Group are at the receiving end due to the crusher industries.

The water source has been dried up since the operation of Manakamana Concrete Industry which lies nearby the water source. On the top, it is being operated without license leading to the illegal excavation of aggregates and dumping of rocks, sand and soil, said Majhuwa Bulbule Drinking Water Group Chairman, Gyan Kumal. Another crusher industry is likely to come into operation in the locality.

Ward no 8 Chairman Im Prasad Adhikari however admitted, “I have issued permission to Manakamana Concrete Industry as I was told that they would set up block’s enterprise. Permission was also obtained from the locals from the industry site.”

Currently, the local unit has stayed the operation of crusher industry since the issue of drinking water shortage surfaced, informed Ward no 6’s Chairperson Binod Regmi.

Crusher entrepreneur Rajendra Dhungana defended that they had not started the operation of crusher industry yet. They had planned to bring aggravates from Kayar River and dump them here but given the objections from the locals they are not moving ahead with the plan. “We did not have any idea that it would lead to drying up of the water source,” he added.

An understanding has been reached among the locals, crusher operators and local municipality according to which the crusher operator will find an alternative for drinking water facility.

Furthermore, they would install boring system to extract water for the locals, informed Kalika municipality mayor, Khum Narayan Shrestha. It is learnt that the crusher industries are operated by those who can influence the big political parties.

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