Kathmandu, March 5:

Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC) has said that seven hours of load shedding since the past two weeks has had a negative impact on the industrial and business sector. Load shedding is not only bringing down production by 40 per cent but also leading to a rise in the cost of production by 20 per cent, NCC release stated.

Drawing the attention of concerned authorities that load shedding in major industrial areas taking place without any schedule could result in economic crisis.

Stating that efforts are not being made to bring down the pressure of power cut, NCC hoped that the government would take steps towards minimising the impact of load shedding on the industrial sector by adopting immediate, mid-term and long-term approaches.

Meanwhile a delegation of NCC led by its president Surendra Bir Malakar met with Gyanendra Bahadur Karki, minister of state for water resources, and apprised him about problems faced by industry due to power cuts.