MYAGDI, March 9: Extraction of sands and pebbles from the Kaligandaki river is going unabated in the name of protecting Myagdi bazaar from soil erosion, but authorities concerned are least concerned.
The consumer committee is extracting sands and silts from the river banks in the name of constructing embankments to protect the bazaar from soil erosion, the locals complained.
Administration at a loss as sand smuggling continues
The committee has launched a project under the Integrated Rupa Lake conservation to build embankments to protect the bazaar from the natural disaster. An excavator has been used to extract silts and sands, which has posed threats to the nearby human settlements, said state assembly member Binod KC.
When asked, the Myagdi municipality said the committee had been summoned and made aware of the impact of the rampant extraction of sands and silts. The committee had also been asked not to use an excavator, said Krishna Kumar Bishwokarma, a member of the working committee of the municipality.
Meanwhile, the locals have accused the committee of misappropriation of funds in constructing the embankments. Both the municipality and the committee have yet to make public details of an agreement to construct the embankments. Rs 35 million have been released for the current fiscal year of 2018/19 for the project.
The committee's chairperson Uttam Kumar Karmacharya however refuted the accusation. RSS
