Kavre, March 9

Brick kiln operators of Namobuddha, Kavre, have started rebuilding the chimneys that the municipality had torn down earlier, citing the plants’ operation against the criteria and their role in polluting the town.

Chimneys of eight brick kilns operating in wards 2 and 3 were torn down by the municipality in August taking issue with their operation against the law and the harmful smoke they produced.

Recently, Bhairavkunda Brick Kiln of Namobuddha Municipality-3 has reconstructed its chimney. The industry has said it will start producing bricks from the third week of March.

After the municipality had laid waste to the chimneys, brick entrepreneurs had filed a case against the municipality at the Supreme Court. Hearing on the case, the SC had on August 27 issued an interim order, telling the government and the municipality concerned not to intervene in the operation of the brick industries until the matter was settled through discussion.

“There is nothing that will stop us from operating after the court’s order,” argued Brick Kiln Entrepreneurs’ Kavre district Chairperson Jitendra Khayamali.

Mayor TP Sharma, however, argued the SC’s interim order was a diktat to keep things in status quo rather than an excuse for the brick entrepreneurs to start operating. “Again as the brick kilns are registered as companies, they can’t start building chimneys or any other structures without the municipality’s permission,” Sharma claimed.

Importantly, an agreement was signed in January last year among District Coordination Committee, municipality officials and brick kiln owners to remove eight kilns operating in the municipality by last fiscal’s end.

As the agreement was not implemented, the municipality had swung to action on August 25 and knocked down the chimneys.