By Santosh Subedi

Siraha, May 4: Even when the government has imposed a nationwide lockdown, illegal sand mining is going on unabated in the rivers flowing in the northern part of Lahan.
Every night, excavators are used in the Khutti River, Jhirhari River and Balan River for extracting construction materials such as sand and boulders which are transported to the designated places through tippers and tractors.
According to locals, the materials are transported during the night and before 10 am. Some even revealed the connection of sand miners with police who allow uninterrupted transportation facility to the illegal sand miners.
“Not all tractors and tippers are allowed to transport mined materials. Only the ones which have setting with police can go to the river, load the materials and transport them,” said a tractor driver who requested anonymity.
However, police said they were taking action against any vehicle found to be transporting construction materials without permission.
“For some projects, the chief district officer can allow some vehicles to transport construction materials but none have been allowed to. Some days ago, I myself took action against some vehicles found violating the law,” said Deputy Superintendent of Police Sharad Thapa, chief of Area Police Office, Lahan.
While police arrest the vehicles and send them to local levels as per the procedure, the local levels have been freeing the vehicles with the construction materials after charging some fine.
As the mining of construction materials in the river is continuing rampantly, the concerned authorities argued that no one was allowed to do so.
“The mining of construction materials form the rivers is not allowed during the lockdown. If anyone is found doing so, we will take necessary action,” said Subash Chandra Das, chief of Division Forest Office, Siraha.
However, neither has the illegal sand mining stopped nor has necessary and effective action been taken against the ones involved in illegal mining of riverbed materials.