Herb processing centre operating from school premises

Bajura, June 11

A herb processing centre is being illegally operated on the premises of Himalbhakti Primary School at Himali Rural Municipality, in Bajura.

Former minister  Chhaka Bahadur Lama of Simikot Rural Municipality in Humla has been illegally operating the processing centre for the past one year in the school. The processing centre has been registered with the district Small Cottage and Industry office in Bajura, with someone else’s land ownership certificate. The processing centre somehow managed to get permission to run the business, from the authority concerned.

Chief of the Small Cottage and Industry Office in the district Nar Bahadur Khadka said his office was aware about the registration of the processing centre, but pleaded ignorance about the location from where it had been operating. He also said the processing centre was registered on the recommendation of then VDC and a local forest office. He further said it is illegal to operate a business on school premises. “We will remove the processing centre, if our team finds it running from there ,” he said.

Rup Bahadur Aaidi, a staffer, at the processing centre said that no one from the concerned office has yet reached the school for monitoring.