HETAUDA: Hetauda Cement Factory (HCF) has invited an international a tender to purchase a dust controlling machine.

General Manager of HCF Ramesh Kumar Aryal said that they are going to install the machine as dust generated by the cement factory has been causing inconvenience to locals for years.

Locals of Hetauda Municipality and Padam-pokhari and Churiyamai VDCs have been facing dust problem since a long time. Dust from the factory reaches Kamane, Hetauda bazaar, Navalpur, Padampokhari and Churiyamai too. The trees and plants around the industry have also been affected from the dust.

Apart from the dust’s effect on locals’ health, the cement factory has also been bearing losses. About one hundred sacks of cement go waste daily in dust. “The new machine HCF is going to import costs nearly Rs 12 million,” Aryal said.

Earlier, HCF had signed an agreement of Rs 5.44 million with Samishya Enterprises to install a dust controlling machine based on Reverse Air Back technology. The factory has a production capacity of 16,000 sacks daily.