NEPAL'S carpet manufacturers have alleged that some environmental groups are the booming carpet industry in the name of a cleaner environment. Bijay Bahadur Shrestha, former president of the Central Carpet Industry Association, accused the government of not pursuing a clear-cut policy on the carpet industry, whose exports amount to $205 million -- 60 per cent of the kingdom's total exports.

The outburst came in the wake of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala's recent announcement that he would have all carpet industries shifted from Kathmandu valley because they pollute the environment and overcrowd the city.