Rishi Baral

Pokhara, July 5:

Contrary to the promises made by the government, there has been no plans to privatise industries in the Pokhara Industrial Area (PIA). However, the Pokhara Industrial Area Management Ltd (PIAML) office has already sent detailed reports on the physical infrastructure and land conditions of the industrial area. Currently, there are 73 industries in the PIA and among them, 53 are functioning, 11 have closed down and others are under construction, informed Dil Bahadur Malla, chief of PIAML. Malla said that if the government privatises industries, industrialists will be able to apply for loans from commercial organisations after keeping land and buildings as bonds.

He said that the privatisation process has already started in the Balaju Industrial Area at Kathmandu. “The government plans to commercialise industrial areas. It also plans to start another industrial area after collecting money from the privatisation of existing industrial areas,” Malla added. He also said that this concept would lure citizens to invest in industries.

He said that three industries in PIA — Pokhara Shoe Factory, Nawa Durga Textile and Nawa Durga Paper Recycling — have been auctioned for failing to pay loans taken from the Nepal Industrial Development Corporation (NIDC), the corporation informed. However, industry owners blamed the corporation for bogging down industries by publishing auction letters, at a time when they should help the industries to stand up. “The PIA does not have land to start new industries even if they want to,” Malla said.