SURKHET, Nov 20: After Mahendra Bahadur Shahi, chief minister of Karnali Province, was pressurized to bring about some changes in the work procedure to support the crusher industry, the Karnali government is preparing to amend the work procedure – which will support the crusher plant which are being operated illegally in the region.

Shahi, who is also the minister for Physical Infrastructure Development, Karnali Province, pressurized the government to amend the work procedure citing the "difficulties" of the crusher industry to operate with the current work procedure.

The Ministry for Industry, Tourism, Forest, and Environment, Karnali Province, has forwarded a proposal to the provincial cabinet to amend the work procedure formed to regulate the crusher industry. Against the law, the provincial government is amending the work procedure to allow the crusher industry worth Rs 100 million in the region.

“As the real estate companies complained of construction materials crisis, the chief minister directed the Ministry for Industry, Tourism, Forest, and Environment to amend the work procedure,” a secretary said, adding that the Ministry for Physical Infrastructure Development has amended the work procedure as per the direction, and has registered the newly-amended work procedure at the cabinet.

In the newly-amended work procedure, national priority and important projects of the province, can set up a temporary crusher plant in the province to extract raw materials for the construction of the project. Such plants can operate in the region until the construction of the project completes.

The working procedure also includes another provision that the contract should have been approved for operation of crusher industry worth above Rs 100 million.

Shahi has been looking after the Physical Infrastructure Development Ministry after the then minister Khadga Khatri was suspended in a banking fraud case. Shahi has been pressurizing the ministry to amend the working procedure after handling the Physical Infrastructure Ministry.

“The chief minister has directed to amend the working procedure after influence from the crusher entrepreneurs,” the secretary said.

According to Krishna Prasad Acharya, secretary at the Ministry for Physical Infrastructure Development, the work procedure is being amended to ease infrastructural construction. “As per the federal law, the government can't permit the crusher plants to operate in the region,” Acharya said, adding that there have been discussions to allow the crusher industries to operate temporarily in the region.

“The monitoring of the industry will be effective. It is not as if all crusher plants will be permitted to operate in the region. The project should be of more than Rs 100 million to operate a temporary crusher plant in the region,” he said, adding that the amendment will ease the construction of infrastructural projects in the region.

“The government will monitor the industry properly. The government will permit the temporary crushers only in limited areas,” he said. Currently, there are 22 temporary crusher plants in Surkhet district.

 
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