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Senior Vice-President of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), Anjan Kumar Shrestha, has said that the delay in the construction of the Motipur Industrial Area (MIA) in Butwal is the result of the government commencing work without first ensuring the necessary resources.

He said that many projects have failed to gain momentum as the work started without proper budgetary assurances. Speaking at a programme organised in Butwal on Sunday to mark the 73rd anniversary of the Butwal Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), he noted that the same issue was responsible for the delay in the MIA project.

Although industrial development is essential for the country’s economic growth, Shrestha claimed that a lack of long-term vision has meant that industrial zones announced across the country have remained limited to declarations.

According to him, although Rupandehi has strong potential for industrial development, legal complications, irresponsibility among state authorities, and the absence of a long-term development strategy have left even initiated projects in uncertainty.

Expressing hope that the country would move in a new direction after the upcoming House of Representatives elections, Shrestha remarked that it was positive that economic issues had been included in the election manifestos of political parties.

Shrestha, president-elect of the FNCCI, pledged that the Federation would work effectively to safeguard the rights and interests of the private sector, promote business, contribute to the national economy, and serve as the government’s economic adviser.

Speaking at the event, Hari Prasad Aryal, President of the BCCI, said that since its establishment the chamber has made significant contributions to protecting the rights and interests of industrialists and entrepreneurs, promoting and developing their businesses, and advancing the region’s economic, social, and industrial development.

Mayor Khel Raj Pandey of the Butwal Sub-Metropolitan City, said that though younger than the BCCI , the sub-metropolis has recognised the chamber’s leading role in the region’s economic, social, and industrial development.

According to him, the chamber has played a leading role in numerous initiatives, including the establishment of Lumbini Commerce Campus, Siddhartha Gautam Buddha Campus, operation of the science faculty at Butwal Multiple Campus, establishment of Siddhartha Children and Women Hospital (AMDA), the setting up of a maternity ward at Lumbini Provincial Hospital at the time, the construction of cabins, and the establishment of an Area Police Office, among other initiatives.