Janakpurdham, June 3 – Chief Minister of Province No 2 Lal Babu Raut has appealed to the government to consider amendment in the policy regarding exporting sand, soil, rocks and gravel and other aggregates from the Chure area.The incumbent government in its budget speech on May 29 had announced that trade deficit would be reduced by exporting aggregates from the Chure Area, drawing wide criticism from various quarters including the environmentalists.

The secretariat of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers, issuing a press statement here today, drew the attention of the government towards the prospects of the policy in promoting desertification in the Province No 2 once it was brought into enforcement. Chure area covers 12.78 per cent of the total area of the country and stretches across 36 districts from Ilam in the eastern part to Kanchanpur in the western.

The statement asserted that, the Chure hills spanning from Saptari to Parsa district were working as an armour to the Province.The statement has warned that if the federal government does not consider any rectification in its policy, the provincial government would take appropriate decision towards this end.

Stating that Chure area was not only source of soil, sand and gravel but it was also rich in natural heritages, the statement said that a huge portion of the natural heritages of the Province No 2 was located in the Chure area.The government’s policy of extractions, sales and exports of aggregates from the Chure area would lead to environmental degradation, the provincial government acknowledged in the statement. However, the Ministry of Finance had clarified that the policy was announced after conducting environmental assessment and considering environment.(RSS)