UDAYAPUR, April 8: After the locals protested against the construction of airport by cutting down trees from local community forest, the Triyuga Municipality is mulling to use the wasted lands along Triyuga and Luhale rivers for the proposed Sagarmatha Airport.
Baldev Chaudhary, mayor of Triyuga Municipality, said that the municipality was preparing to submit a proposal the government to construct the airport on the wasted lands of riverbank. According to Chaudhary, more than 2,000 hectares of land has turned into riverbank. The concerned officials and locals have welcomed the decision of municipality.
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Locals of Udaypur have been pressing the municipality to construct the airport without cutting down trees. The initial plan was to cut down trees from dense Chure and community forests, covering 156.11 hectares of land, located at Jogidaha of Triyuga Municipality Ward 2. The airport project was announced five years ago.
As per the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the project, trees covering 124 hectares of land under the former Jogidaha Kang Community Forest Consumer Group and Mothiyahi Community Forest Consumer Group, and 32 hectare of land from national Chure conservation area needed to be chopped off for the runway.
According to the EIA, a total of 35,514 trees should be cut down from that area. After the deforestation, around 800,000 plants must be planted for environment pollution mitigation. Planting of the trees will require Rs 306 million.
The airport will have a 200-meter-long with 60-meter-wide runway as per the plan. Apart from the runway, land is needed to build terminal building, staff quarter, taxi ways and other required infrastructures.