Kathmandu: The Chure Conservation March Group, campaigning to protect the Chure and forest areas, staged a rally in Kathmandu today. The group arrived in the capital after a 25-day walk from Saptari, demanding an immediate halt to the exploitation of peaks to prevent desertification in the country and the Madhes region.

Farmers from Chure, a crucial water source for the Tarai-Madhes region, arrived in Kathmandu a few days ago to pressurize the government. They warned that excessive exploitation of Chure for extracting pebbles, stones, and sand threatens to turn the Tarai into a desert.

The group marched from Bhardaha of Saptari to Kathmandu via Patthalaiya of Bara, aiming to protect and promote Chure forests. Their demands include securing land rights for Dalit landless and slum dwellers, and stopping illegal mining, pollution, and river encroachment in Sirsialagaya.

In recent years, the ban on extracting and exporting river-based materials like stones and sand from the Chure area has been lifted, prompting locals to demand government action against illegal mining. The declining water levels in the Tarai have exacerbated drinking water shortages in some areas.

National Coordinator of the Group, Sunil Yadav, expressed frustration that the government has ignored their 10-day sit-in protest at Maitighar Mandala regarding Chure conservation.