Kapilvastu: The contractors are extracting sand from the Vaanganga River against the permission of District Development Committee (DDC) Nawalparasi. The contractors appointed by the DDC are extracting sand and pebbles from the river using vaccum machine and dozer affecting the environment of the river.

Local Development Officer of Kapilvastu Damodar Bhandari told that he did not permit the contractors to use machine for extracting sand. The laborers who are dependent upon the river for their livelihood are in trouble after the DDC Kapilvastu gave contract of collecting pebbles and sand from the river to a contractor Arun Singh last year. A laborer Bechain Prasad Chauhan, who has been spending his livelihood by sieving sand in the river since past 2 years, told that the laborers are unemployed after the contractors used sophisticated machines to extract sand and pebbles.

Source: Naya Patrika, June 7, 2008