KATHMANDU, June 7: A writ has been filed at the Supreme Court seeking the court order to stop excavation of sand, pebbles, and stones from the Sunkoshi river.
Advocates Padam Bahadur Shrestha and Chiranjibi Bhattarai filed the writ on Thursday. The writ names the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers and the Ministry of Forests and Environment, among other government bodies, as the defendants.
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The petitioners have demanded that the apex court issued a mandamus to stop the mining of river-based materials that is taking place causing a direct impact on the entire environment itself as the legal provisions regarding extraction of sand, pebbles, stones have not been implemented in an effective manner.
Likewise, the writ has sought court intervention for immediately implementing and have implemented the laws related to the extraction, management, and sale and distribution of river-based materials, citing that the legal provisions which should have been effectively enforced and implemented have been neglected. The illegal mining of river-based materials like sand, pebbles, stones on the bank of Sunkoshi river on both sides and the river bed from Bahrabise municipality bazaar to Dolalghat has obstructed the river's natural flow and changed its shape, the writ argues.
The writ states that the formation of big pools due to the illegal mining on the bank of the river on its two sides has spoiled the beauty of the river and also threatened its very existence, and also argues for river conservation by law since there would be long-term environmental effect on humans, wildlife, aquatic animals, waterway, highway, forests and the tourism entrepreneurs due to such rampant excavation activities.
