SINDHULI, Nov 21: Before the local elections, there were only half a dozen sand processing plants in various wards of Sunkoshi Rural Municipality. It has just been a year since the elections but around a dozen more such plants have already been opened here.

In order to increase the internal income sources of the local unit, the elected local representatives are issuing permits to open as many crusher plants as possible. The banks of the Sunkoshi River in the area are already dotted with such crusher plants.

According to locals, most crusher plants are registered in the names of the relatives and family members of the local representatives. Kapil Koirala of Sunkoshi Rural Municipality said that around 100 tipper-full of sand is being collected and sold from Sunkoshi on a daily basis these days. "If this is not controlled, the BP Highway can be at risk," Koirala warned.

A total of 18 crusher plants have been established after the local elections, say the locals. The locals say that many of elected representatives were businessmen and contractors before the elections, lamenting the fact that they were yet to give up their old jobs and understand their new role as the people's representatives. "Rampant excavation under the nose of the local representatives has resulted in the degradation of the Sunkoshi River. But no one has shown concern to stop this," said one of the locals. 

"We have not given permission for operating crusher plants. We just issued recommendations for sand processing plants," said Dirbu Singh Moktan, vice-chairperson of Sunkoshi, adding, "As of now, there are 17 sand processing plants in the rural municipality. A few more have been recommended." There are seven rural municipalities and two municipalities in Sindhuli and most local units in the district have permitted the establishment of crusher plants in the name of sand processing plants.

Golanjor Rural Municipality has issued recommendations for two sand processing plants and they will be soon operating. "So far, we have just recommended two plants which will be operating soon," said Information Officer Tirtha Bhandari. As per the rules, sand processing plants are not allowed to process aggregates, yet they are found selling aggregates as well as sand.

Following criticism from the locals, Sunkoshi Rural Municipality has closed the registration of new plants. "We have closed new registrations," said Vice-chairperson Moktan. Stating that crusher plants are different from sand processing units, Nawaraj Raut, chief of the Small and Cottage Industry Development Committee, said, "There are only three crusher plants in the district while the rest are sand processing units."

 
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