DHANUSA, Nov 10: Former President Dr Ram Baran Yadav on Saturday said that the Chure hills have been captured by crusher industry mafia.

Speaking at a session of Nepal Literature Festival in Janakpur, Yadav said that the crusher industry mafias have captured Chure with political backing. “Mafias get tickets for elections, as they are close to the political parties,” he said.

“In the past, mafias cut trees from the Chure. Now, aggregates are being extracted from the region. Neither of the three tiers of the government have taken action against the mafias. Three tiers of governments are responsible for the destruction of the Chure,” Yadav said, adding that lower-level cadres to senior political leaders are openly destroying Chure.

“When I was the president, a master plan to conserve Chure was presented. But, it is the responsibility of the government to implement the master plan. A 20-year master plan has been formulated,” Yadav said, urging the government to form necessary laws to conserve Chure.

Former president Yadav further added the government is developing infrastructure by destroying Chure. “The government is constructing Madan Bhandari Highway by destroying Chure,” he said, urging the government to find other suitable place to construct the Nijgadh International Airport.

“If an airport is constructed in Nijgadh, a huge number of trees will have to be cut down. The government should not destroy Chure in the name of development,” he added.

Meanwhile, Former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal replying to Yadav said that there is no other option than to construct an international airport in Nijgadh. Nepal further said that Nijgadh is the most suitable place to construct an international airport. “A total of eight places were studied to construct international airport, and Nijgadh turned out to be the most suitable one,” he said.

Meanwhile, Nepal also said that the country doesn't need the Madan Bhandari Highway. “The forests of the country have been destroyed by developing unnecessary highways. As the East-West Highway, Postal Highway, and Mid-Hill Highway are already constructed, the country doesn't need more highways,” Nepal said, adding that a railway track can be developed along the East-West Highway.

 
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