Illegal Excavation in Kailali’s Chure Foothills; Five Held with Vehicles

Five individuals have been taken into custody along with vehicles for illegally extracting stones, gravel, and soil from the foothills of the Chure range in Kailali.

A patrol team from the Division Forest Office apprehended the suspects while they were using an excavator to extract riverbed materials from the Adheri Khola in Chure Rural Municipality–4.

Those arrested include 28-year-old tractor driver Ramesh Chaudhary of Gauriganga Municipality–6, 28-year-old tipper driver Kanaiya Rana of Shuklaphanta Municipality–4 in Kanchanpur, 25-year-old tipper driver Birjan Tharu of Basgadhi Municipality–6 in Bardiya, tipper driver Krishna Rana of Shuklaphanta–4, and 27-year-old excavator operator Shivcharan Chaudhary of Dhangadhi Sub-metropolitan City–7.

The authorities have seized one excavator, three tippers, and one tractor used in the illegal operation. All five suspects are currently in custody at the Division Forest Office in Kailali.

According to Divisional Forest Officer Ram Bichari Thakur, the arrests were made during a patrol conducted based on information about illegal excavation and timber smuggling activities in the Chure area. He stated that extracting and transporting riverbed materials from areas without environmental assessment is prohibited.

Thakur said legal proceedings have been initiated under the Forest Act, which provides for imprisonment, fines, or both for illegal excavation. He also revealed that forest encroachment and timber smuggling have been taking place in the same area. “A few days ago, 12 khair trees were found cut down in the area, and recently a sal tree was also illegally felled and taken away,” he said.

The forest office concluded that ongoing illegal excavation in the environmentally sensitive Chure region, which connects the Mahabharat range and the Tarai plains, is increasing environmental risks. Authorities have warned of strict action against those involved in such activities.