BHAKTAPUR, Oct 30: In the past years, raw bricks would have started to be made in Bhaktapur in this season. However, this year there has not been any activity toward brick making. The brick industrialists here are confused - whether to run the industry this year or not because if they don't run it, the industry will be closed forever and if they run it, there are already plenty of bricks from the previous years.
According to the Bhaktapur Brick Industry Traders Association, almost half the bricks produced last year are still left. It is estimated that 20 million bricks are produced every year from all the brick kilns in the district. In this way, 100 million bricks are left to be sold. 62 brick kilns were operating in the district last year.
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Industrialists said that due to the lack of capital, the brick industry is about to be closed as last year's bricks are yet to be sold. According to them, people have not brought bricks as the construction process has come to a standstill. Similarly, government constructions are at a standstill due to the lack of budget for development and construction. There is also a problem with the government in paying salaries to the employees which delayed the construction.
Likewise, due to the high interest rates of banks, people are not able to build houses. Natibhai Hyomwa, president of Bhaktapur Brick Industry Traders Association, said that half the industry had to be shut down this year. He said that the industries that have been running this year have planned to produce only half of the total number of bricks that were produced last year.
This year half the industries are scheduled to start burning bricks only from mid January. Also, the time to stop burning bricks is scheduled to be completed early next year by mid-March. If not, in other years, the work of burning bricks is done mid-April.
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