Crusher industries operating illegally in Bardiya

By Our Correspondent,Babai (Bardiya), Aug. 14: In Bardiya, crusher industries have been found operating in violation of regulations after failing to meet government standards. Of the seven crusher industries currently operating in the district, four are reported to be in breach of the rules.

According to the information from the Office of Cottage and Small Industry, Nuri Stone Industries in Madhuban Municipality-9, Laxmi Sand Processing Industry in Barbardiya Municipality-2, and Bardiya Sand Processing Industry in Thakurbaba are among those operating illegally. Nuri Stone Industries has been running without renewal since July 2020.

Some operators have been running full-scale crusher industries under the name of sand processing centres, producing, selling, and distributing river-based materials. Nirdesh Crusher Industry Pvt. Ltd., which is registered with the Department of Commerce, has reportedly not been accountable to the local government or the Division Forest Office.

Although the government set operational standards for the crusher industries in 2020 and again in 2023, many have neither complied with these standards nor renewed their licences. 

Deputy Mayor of Barbardiya Municipality Ratna Pandey confirmed that the crusher industries have not been accountable to local authorities. Indra Raj Khatri, head of the Bardiya Office of Cottage and Small Industry, stated that Nuri Stone Industries in Madhuban has been operating without renewal since July 2020.

Regulations require crusher industries to be located at least one kilometre from forest areas and 500 metres from schools, yet Nuri Crusher operates in the middle of a settlement. Vijay Raj Subedi, chief of the Division Forest Office in Bardiya, said that Nirdesh Crusher Industry, although registered with the Department of Commerce, has not submitted any documents to the Division Forest Office.

For the monitoring of riverbed material extraction and distribution, the district has a monitoring team led by the Chair of the District Coordination Committee (DCC), comprising the District Administration Office, District Police Office, Division Forest Office, Office of Cottage and Small Industry, relevant local government representatives, and other security agencies. 

However, Madhuban Municipality’s Mayor Tej Bahadur Bhat said that in his three years in office, no monitoring of crusher industries had been carried out.

Chair of DCC Bardiya, Surya Bahadur Bista, said that the monitoring team must forward reports of irregularities to the relevant local government for action, allowing crusher operators to maintain control. “Crusher operations are running under the protection of political power; monitoring has no meaning,” he said, adding that political party leaders often make phone calls even before inspections take place.

Nuri Stone Industries proprietor, Nasim Halwai, commented that this problem has persisted nationwide 

since 2020.