Kathmandu, February 11

The Decentralisation Section of the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development today issued a circular to all 75 district development committees to designate quarries for government-run projects to extract construction materials such as sand, stone and soil.

According to the MoFALD, the DDCs will be required to designate quarries, collections sites, quantity and procedures for extraction so that government-run projects could manage these construction materials on their own.

The move is aimed at expediting development projects.

Tax will be levied on stones, sand, slates and soil so extracted as per the Local Self Governance Regulation, 2056 (1999). The concerned projects will have to pay tax to the DDCs at the rate determined by the district council.

No project will be allowed to excavate construction material in excess of the amount approved by the DDCs.

At the same time, the MoFALD has made it clear that the government-run projects will be required to 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 are approved, the projects will not be required to carry out separate EIA and IEE in relation to the excavation of construction materials.

The MoFALD informed that a circular to this effect was issued as per the January 24 Cabinet meeting, which directed it to cause the concerned local bodies to remove difficulties with respect to the extraction of construction materials for government-run projects.

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.