Kathmandu, February 21

The Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration has issued a circular to all local levels, directing them to implement the Supreme Court order in relation to protection, extraction and use of natural resources.

The Supreme Court on June 4 had ordered the government to formulate, regulate and monitor local policies, laws and standards in a manner to fully abide by the prevailing laws and ensure good governance for registration, licensing, renewal and management of identification of natural resources like stones, pebbles and sand, and their protection, extraction and use.

Local levels can formulate and implement the laws as per necessity.

According to Environment and Disaster Management Section of the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration, the circular was issued to the local levels for implementation of the court order as per its secretary-level decision made yesterday.

Recently, the ministry had urged district coordination committees to activate their concerned District Monitoring and Coordination Committee and act on its mandate to make extraction, collection, sale and distribution of river and mining products effective as per the rules.

The government has already approved the formation of ‘District Monitoring and Coordination Committee and its Mandate’.

It has provided for a provision of an eight-member monitoring and coordination committee led by chief of the concerned District Coordination Committee to monitor the process of extraction, collection, sale and distribution of river products, pebbles and sand.

The committee may give necessary directions to the concerned rural municipality, municipality or extractor or collector regarding the observance of terms and conditions of environmental study report, approved procedures and rules, revenue leakage and smuggling, road safety and pollution control, observance of contract, market price control of river and mining products, and standards to be followed by crusher industries, among others.

It will be the duty of the concerned rural municipality or municipality or extractor or collector to abide by the directions given by the committee on bases of monitoring report,” the circular states.

If the directions given by the committee are not followed, it may prohibit the concerned violator from extracting, collecting or exporting river products.