Rautahat, May 24 The extraction of construction materials from the banks of the Bagmati River at Samanpur of Gadhimai Municipality continues unabated in the name of development in Rautahat. Contractor company Surya SBA Elite JV has extracted a huge amount of boulders and sand by installing a screen plant near the under-construction bridge that connects Sarlahi. “The materials are being sold in the market despite the contractor company’s claim that they are for construction of the bridge,” said locals, adding, the authority concerned has chosen to remain mum on the issue. Following complaints from locals, a team led by Chief District Officer Govinda Prasad Rijal and security chiefs in the district took stock of the site two days ago. The monitoring team had directed the contractor company not to sell materials to other individuals and companies. According to Dinesh Sah, a local, the contract period of the bridge connecting Sarlahi’s Rajghat with Hajriya, which had expired was extended by eight more months. “The construction work is snail-paced and the contractor company is focused on extracting more construction materials instead of completing the project,” argued Sah. Contractor Surya SBA Elite JV site engineer Ajay Jha said they had installed a screen plant to extract necessary construction materials including sand, gravel and boulder with the authority’s permission.