Kathmandu June 5:

Unlawful extraction of riverbed products has continued unabated in the district despite a ban. This rampant trend of illegal extraction has aggravated deforestation in Chure region. Removal of riverbed products from the Bagmati, Lakhandehi, Kalinchowk and Fuljor rivers went unchecked in various pretexts, said local people. The Rivers witnessing growing extraction of river materials are located at the range of 500-metres to seven kilometres from the East West Highway. In some places, extracted river products have been explicitly gathered on the road. The extracted river products have been supplied to neighbouring India through interior routes, said the locals. Consequently, the growing incidents of illegal extraction has caused recurrent flooding and landslides as well as sharp fall in agro production in Tarai-Madhes, said chief of the division forest office, Sarlahi, Madhav Prasad Dev. State Assembly member Bechi Lungeli stressed the need for resolving the matter locally. He called for local level not to contract extraction of river products randomly.