KATHMANDU: Supreme Court of Nepal has issued a stay order on the extraction of riverine materials such as stone, pebbles and sand.

A joint bench of Justices Ananda Mohan Bhattarai and Tanka Moktan on February 23, upheld the SC order issued on July 26 to stop extracting riverine materials.

The apex court upheld the July 26 decision arguing that the continuous extraction of riverine materials has violated the Standards related to Stone, Gravel, Sand Extraction, Sale and Management, 2077 BS and effective implementation of procedures issued by provinces.

The unbridled extraction of riverine materials across the country has seriously affected the biodiversity as well as normal life of human-beings, reads the order issued. It has also created imbalance between the environment and the development.

Meanwhile, the SC has also ordered to form a high-level committee to research how the demands of construction materials which are indispensable for the development such as stone, gravel and sand can be addressed.