Kathmandu, July 21 Industrialists based in Birgunj and Bhairahawa have joined the ongoing protest against the implementation of Vehicle and Consignment Tracking System (VCTS). Industrialists in the region today organised a rally asking the government to step back from the decision to implement VCTS. The government had introduced the web-based VCTS effective from July 17 in a bid to keep track of the whereabouts of cargo ferrying containers and trucks. However, industrialists have said that the decision to implement VCTS lacks enough groundwork and will trouble trade and business. “Along with the beginning of the new fiscal year, the government has been implementing a few impractical policies including the VCTS. As the government does not seem to be in the mood to listen to our concerns, we are obliged to start a protest through the streets,” said Gopal Kedia, president of Birgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Moreover, industrialists have warned that they will resort to other protest programmes if the government does not roll back the decision to implement the VCTS. Similarly, industrialists, traders and entrepreneurs in Kathmandu have also been staging protests against the VCTS since Friday and have also stopped ferrying goods to and from Nepal. They have said that the VCTS is ineffective for developing countries like Nepal. “Implementation of VCTS is untimely and has come without necessary groundwork,” said Narayan Prasad Bhandari, a trader based in Rupandehi, adding that they will completely halt ferrying goods if the government does not step back from its decision to make VCTS mandatory. Likewise, Naresh Katwal, president of National Entrepreneurs Federation of Nepal, said that the government should not make VCTS mandatory abruptly. He suggested the government to implement VCTS as a pilot project for at least one year and implement it in a full-fledged manner after analysing the pros and cons of the system. However, the Department of Revenue Investigation has said that VCTS will be implemented as a pilot project till mid-October and will not be effective for small traders.