Nigale Cement Industries in Sidhuwa, Dhankuta, has stopped cement production for the last 22 days. The owner of the cement factory Dinesh Poudel said production remains completely stalled as they have not been able to import raw materials from India.The cement factory, which was set up with a total investment of Rs 1.25 billion, used to produce 3,000 sacks of cement of Nigale and Koshi brands per day. "We haven't been able to import raw materials required to produce cement. And we have already ran out of the stock also," said Poudel. "We have no option other than to stop production and send workers on leave."
The factory used to import the raw materials from Jharkhand, Assam and Rajasthan of India, and also Bhutan. The indefinite closure of the factory has left more than 150 laborers, both from India and Nepal, unemployed whereas there will soon be a shortage of cement in the eastern hills and Tarai, according to Poudel.
Likewise, Khadka Dhaka Industries has also remained shut for the last one month due to shortage of raw materials. It has sent its 28 staffers on leave citing lack of yarn. Dhan Bahadur Khadka, the owner, informed that he has stocked materials produced during Dashain and Tihar in his godown. Those materials, worth more than Rs 500,000, were supposed to send to Pokhara and Kathmandu, according to Khadka.
More than a dozen Dhaka factories operating in Dhankuta have stopped production while more than 1,000 laborers have become jobless.
In the meantime, the biscuit factories here have also cut production by up to 50 percent. They have said that they would have to completely close down operation if situation does not improve.
There are over 300 small and big industrial units in Dhankuta with investment of over Rs 5 billion, according to Cottage and Small Scale Industries Development Board, Dhankuta.
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