Kathmandu, July 28

The government has issued ‘Standard on Extraction, Sale and Management of Stones, Pebbles and Sand’ to ensure easy supply of river and mine-based products for infrastructure development activities while discouraging excessive and indiscriminate exploitation of natural resources.

The standard also aims to determine practical procedures to be adopted by rural municipalities and municipalities in exercising the power to sell stones, pebbles, sand and soil. As per the standard, local levels shall extract and collect river and mine-based products from the areas as specified in the approved environmental study report.

If required, they may carry out extraction and collection of such construction materials by relocating settlements to safer places as per the decision of the concerned district disaster management committee to avert possible disaster from floods, landslides and earthquakes.

Stones, pebbles and sands washed away by flooded rivers and streams may also be collected by the local units.

The standard stipulates a provision for designating certain areas to operate mine and crusher industries. “A local unit shall prepare an environmental study report and get it approved by the concerned village or municipal executive body for extraction, collection and sale of river and minebased products. They may award a contract to registered companies or organisations to carry out these tasks at the rate approved by the executive body,” it says.

If the areas designated for extraction and collection of river and mine-based products fall under jurisdiction of two or more local levels, the work can be performed by making a joint team. “Extraction and collection of construction materials shall be carried out by using labour-based technology to create employment opportunities.

If machines and heavy equipment have to be used, that shall be done with the consent of the concerned district disaster management committee,” reads the standard.

The standard prohibits extraction and collection of river and mine-based products in an area two kilometres from dense settlement and forest. No local level shall carry out such work in river area within areas 500metres from the highway and one kilometre from motorable bridge and suspension bridge.

It requires the concerned contractor to make arrangements of health, hygiene, sanitation, safety and accident insurance for workers engaged in extraction, collection and transportation of construction materials. “Extraction and collection of construction materials shall be carried out in a way that the activity doesn’t change flow of the river and affect its structure and irrigation system,” reads the standard.

The standard prohibits extraction and collection of stones, pebbles and sand from the Chure region. However, stones, pebbles and sand deposited within the Chure region due to flood may be collected as per the decision of the concerned district disaster management committee.

Concerned local units shall prohibit entry of vehicles beyond the prescribed capacity into river and mining areas.

Construction materials should be transported to the destination by covering them with tarpaulin to prevent dust pollution on the road. Once applicable charge or fee is levied by one local unit for the transportation of construction materials from one place to another, no other local levels or provinces shall be allowed to collect additional charges for the same consignment.

As per the standard, there shall be a nine-member district monitoring committee led by the chief of district coordination committee to carry out monitoring of extraction, collection, transportation and sale of river and mine-based products. Concerned contractors shall comply with the directions issued by the monitoring committee.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on July 29, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.