BARA, Feb 8: Entrepreneurs at Birgunj-Pathalaiya Industrial Corridor are gearing up to restore their businesses battered by the Madhes agitation and the Indian blockade.
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With the obstructions at the Birgunj-Raxaul border lifted after 135 days on Friday, the entrepreneurs are working aggressively to get things back on track.
Their consignment trucks laden with various imported goods had been stranded at Raxual and Das Gaja, which is a No Man's Land between Nepal and India, since the start of the border obstructions.They have already started the process to import raw materials from bordering Indian towns as well as other countries.
“Many entrepreneurs have already started bring in their stranded consignments to their factories,” informed Pradeep Kediya, chairman of Birgunj chapter of Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI). “Entrepreneurs are working to bring the situation at the corridor back to normal,” he added.
During the border obstructions, operators of oil, medicines and other manufacturers were forced to import raw materials from countries other than India, which was comparatively costly.
According to Kediya, many industries had reduced their production by half while many others shut down completely due to lack of raw materials and very high transportation costs.
Around 60% of the country's factories lie in Birgunj-Pathlaiya corridor, with almost all of them relying on raw materials imported from India. No wonder, they faced severe difficulties during the blockade.
Multinational companies along the corridor, including Dabur Nepal, Conscience Nerolac Paints, Surya Nepal, Jagadamba Steel, Hulas Steel, Jyoti Firm Sunrise Beverage, Quest Pharma, National Health Care, Bishokarma, along with around one thousand big and small factories and businesses were badly affected during the Madhes agitation and the India imposed blockade.
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