CIM submits 15-point memo to parliamentary committee on industrial challenges
BIRATNAGAR: Chamber of Industries Morang (CIM) has submitted a 15‑point memorandum to the parliamentary Industry, Commerce, Labour and Consumer Welfare Committee. It urges urgent government action on infrastructure, energy, trade and tax issues affecting manufacturers.
A delegation led by CIM President Nand Kishor Rathi and Senior Vice-President Bholeshwor Dulal on Monday met committee chair Rahbar Ansari and lawmakers to press for concrete measures rather than verbal assurances. Rathi said business leaders needed clear state decisions.
"I have come here today from Biratnagar, not carrying a bundle of complaints, but carrying a few questions to save industry," he said.
The memorandum warned that seven Nepali jute mills, employing about 15,000 workers, face risk after India’s Directorate General of Trade Remedies recommended countervailing duties on Nepali jute exports. Exports of galvanised iron wire through Biratnagar customs have reportedly fallen to zero amid heavy excise duties on raw materials and finished goods.
Delegates highlighted prolonged regional infrastructure delays, noting the six‑kilometre Katahari‑Biratnagar road section remains unfinished after six years, disrupting more than 100 factories. CIM also raised concerns about power cuts of four to seven hours a day during the dry season and delays in bringing new substations into service.
CIM requested equal priority for domestic manufacturers in major public projects, a review of electricity taxation, and legal safeguards for credit sales to prevent liquidity shortages. Rathi urged lawmakers to treat private enterprise as a central partner in national development.
"The smoke issuing from the chimney of an industry is not merely smoke; it is a family's stove, a youth's employment, a farmer's market, state revenue, and ultimately, the economic future of the nation," Rathi said.
