KATHMANDU: The government has decided to amends laws in accordance with the Supreme Court’s decision regarding infrastructure construction in protected zones including national parks, reserves or conservation areas.
A meeting of stakeholders held at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers on Wednesday decided to move forward by amending the laws that hinder the parallel advancement of the environment and development.
The decision was taken by a joint meeting of Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Ajay Kumar Chaurasiya, Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Deepak Khadka, Minister for Forests and Environment Ain Bahadur Shahi, Chief Secretary Eaknarayan Aryal and secretaries of the concerned ministries.
Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Khadka said that the Supreme Court’s decision will hinder the government’s energy development goals. He stressed the need to amend the law considering national needs. The decision will also affect the transmission lines of the projects currently under construction.
Likewise, Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Chaurasia said that discussions can be held with the judges of the court regarding the Supreme Court’s decision. Since the energy, tourism and irrigation sectors are important sectors for the country’s economic development relevant laws can be amended to address the barriers.
Furthermore, Minister for Forest and Environment Shahi said that the ministry is continuously working to address the problems of the forest sector.
Chief Secretary Aryal said that such court decisions will have a major impact on development and construction at a time when the government targets to generate 28,500 megawatts of electricity in 10 years and export 15,000 megawatts to neighboring countries.
Accordingly, the National Park Act, Forest Act, Environment Protection Act and other laws that affect development and construction will be amended as soon as possible. The meeting directed the Ministry of Forests to finalize the laws that need to be amended and submit them to the Council of Ministers.
