KATHMANDU, June 18: The Supreme Court has issued an interim order against the government's plan to export sand, stones and pebbles to bridge the widening trade deficit. 

A joint bench of Chief Justice Cholendra SJB Rana, justices Mira Khadka, Hari Krishna Karki and Bishwambhar Prasad Shrestha passed the order to the government not to implement its decision to export stones, sand and pebbles. Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel, while unveiling the new budget for fiscal year 2021/22, had announced the plan to export these construction materials to reduce the widening trade deficit of Nepal.

Currently, Nepal has put a ban on the export of sand, stones and pebbles. The announcement of Finance Minister Paudel to export these construction materials courted a serious controversy, especially after environmentalists took strong exception to this decision. There are fears that this decision, if implemented, will destroy the Chure range of hills and cause environmental disasters in the southern parts of the country.

 
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