Butwal, April 11 -- Many crusher plants across Lumbini Province have halted production following a directive from the home ministry to immediately shut down illegal units. Many are reported to have been operating for a long time without renewing registration, while even registered entities have flouted the set standards.

Despite being registered as sand processing units, most of the crushers operating in Lumbini have been churning out sand and pebbles. As a result, operators have shut down units, fearing action, said Gopal Gyawali, chair of the Lumbini Stone and Pebbles Entrepreneurs' Committee.

Crushers typically obtain permits from local governments to purchase a fixed quantity of riverbed materials, which they process and sell. Howev...