India relies on Nepal for about 500,000 truckloads (over 1,000 truckloads everyday) of stones, boulders and sand, which is extracted from Nepali rivers spread across the Tarai belt, to use it in the development of its rapidly-expanding infrastructure such as roads, railway tracks and other constructions. However, the export of these materials is hurting Nepal in a very big way. One, the environmental and the ecological impact, primarily on our rivers, forests and Chure hill range is huge. Two, as a result of the volume of business and the difference in pricing of the materials in and across the border, corruption is rampant. Three, though Nepal’s roads cannot withstand the load of more than 10 tons, each truck into this business carries about 30 tons of materials, thus damaging our highways and bridges.
This year, so far, our government has collected a little over 435 million in revenue from contractors who are into this business but that is no consolation. As mentioned above, the negative impact of the business is too huge on Nepal to take heart from the revenue generated from it. India must also remember that the environmental impact on the Chure range will ultimately not only affect Nepal but also herself. Hence, it must take a fresh look into the whole issue. Having said that, the onus of steering everything back on track lies on Nepal as it is happening right in its backyard.
The committee has directed its sub-committee on forests and soil conservation to come out with a report on how the export of sand, stones and boulders on such a massive scale is affecting Nepal’s highways, bridges, ecology and environment. We urge the committee to ready the report as soon as possible. Once the report is readied, the government must act on it without any delay.
Related story
Unstable politics benefits only those who fish in murky waters:...
