Kathmandu, May 2

The Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development has decided to allow concerned district coordination committees to manage extraction, sale and export of river products like sand, pebbles and stones in the next fiscal as per the previously enforced provisions.

Environment Management Section of the MoFALD said a decision to this effect was taken by the government yesterday. As per the decision, the DCCs will be required to designate quarries, collection sites, quantity, and procedures for extraction of river products so that state-run projects could manage these construction materials on their own. No project will be allowed to excavate materials in excess of the amount approved by the DCCs.

“Such projects shall mention the site of excavation in their Environmental Impact Assessment and Initial Environmental Examination at the time of carrying out EIA and IEE. Once the EIA and IEE are approved, the projects will not be required to carry out separate EIA and IEE in relation to the excavation of construction materials,” read a circular issued by the MoFALD.

A monitoring committee led by the concerned chief district officer will fix the maximum sales rate of river products, including stones, pebbles and sand, for the district on the basis of extraction cost and the distance between the excavation site and the market. “The price may differ from place to place depending on the total extraction cost,” it read.

The DCCs shall have to deposit in their bank account the amount received from the sale of construction materials without any expenditure for the purpose of distribution of the revenue among local levels. Earlier, the government had enacted standards for the operation of crusher industries and quarries to bring them under a regulatory framework.

As per the standards, they are required to maintain a distance from residential areas, schools, health centres, forests, rivers, religious and historical sites and other public offices.