Agitating industrialists withdraw protest

Agitating industrialists that have their firms inside the country´s 11 industrial estates have withdrawn their protest programs after the government decided to defer the enforcement of recently announced hike in rental fees and invited them for talks.
The industrialists had decided to launch protests against the decision of Industrial Estates Management Limited (IEML) after it raised rental fee of land and buildings inside the estates by 850 to 1,400 percent. Federation of Industries in Nepal Industrial Estates (FINIE) that spearheaded the protest said the IMEL´s decision was unfair.
"But we have withdrawn our protest programs after IEML assured us the new fee structure will not be enforced for the time being and committed to revise the fee through mutual consultation," Shailendra Lal Pradhan, president of FINIE told Republica.
"We will soon form a committee to hold negotiation meetings with the IMEL officials for fixing the new rental fees," said Pradhan.
Meanwhile, Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FNCCI) issuing a press release on Tuesday expressed solidarity with FINIE´s stance. "We are with FINIE. The government´s decision to hike rental fee in the industrial estates without due consultation with the concerned entrepreneurs is not acceptable to us," FNCCI said in the release.
The 11 estates spread in different parts of the country houses more than 600 firms inside their premises. Together, they have over Rs 13 billion of private investment and employ 11,109 people.
The industrial estates were set up with a view to uplift the country´s industrial sector by making efficient use of available resources and extend better services and facilities to factories.
Additionally, the government is also mulling a change in the management system in order to make industries based in the estates more effective. The change is being worked out after FINIE repeatedly lodged complaints against IMEL´s weak performance to utilize the resources available in the estates.
Industrial estates cover over 5,128 ropanis of land in different places such as Balaju, Patan, Hetauda, Dhanusha, Nepalgunj, Pokhara, Butwal, Bhaktapur, Biratnagar, Dhankuta and Saptari.