A CIAA team including Krishna Prasad Dhungana and Gajendra Shrestha has reached Biratnagar to investigate into the illegal export of construction materials allegedly under patronage of the local authorities. [break]
The export has been continuing even after the Supreme Court and Parliamentary Committee on Natural and Means Resources directed the crusher plant owners to halt the exports.
The team found a depot of stones and crushed stones near Materuwa point on the Indo-Nepal border in Morang. “The only purpose to set up such a depot on the border is to export the crushed stones to India. We believe that a large quantity of stones and pebbles are being exported to India,” a member of the team told Republica.
According to the team member, stones extracted from Gachhiya river in Morang were being ferried to the depot by tippers and are then exported to India from the Materuwa point.
Local Development Officer (LDO) in Morang Pashupati Kharel, however, claimed exports of stones and pebbles have stopped after the ban by Supreme Court. “We talked with the LDO, CDO (Chief District Officer), and customs and police officers. They all claimed that illegal export of stones has halted,” Dhungana said, “But the fact is illegal export of stones have been continuing even after the SC verdict.
The team also questioned proprietor of Radha Krishna Suppliers Bhim Bahadur Poudel, who was given the contract to export stones and pebbles to India by the District Development Committee, Morang on July 21.
“Illegal exports cannot continue under the patronage of a single authority. More people seem to be involved in the illegal trade than meets the eye,” a member of the CIAA team claimed.
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