Roads to 5 cement factories within 6 weeks

The government is set to complete construction of access roads to five under-construction cement factories at different places in the country within the current fiscal year. Construction of roads, transmission lines and substations to these factories will be finished in the next six weeks as per the policy of constructing industrial infrastructure, according to the Ministry of Industry. Construction of access roads to five factories will be completed on the basis of investment, time period, physical progress and state of the factory to implement the budget declaration of the current fiscal year. Ghorahi, Rolpa, United, Shivam and Nigale cement factories will be removed from the list of assistance from the next fiscal year as all infrastructure facilities will be provided to them within the current fiscal year. Industry Minister Karna Bahadur Thapa stated that cement industry has been prioritized as there is huge potential of cement in Nepal. The then finance minister Shankar Prasad Koirala, who was also the industry minister, had allocated a budget of Rs 1.23 billion for construction of industrial infrastructure and announced construction of infrastructure for the five cement factories within the current fiscal year. The budget, stating that the cement industry could not be promoted despite the budget for fiscal year 2065/66 through the Industrial Infrastructure Development Program pointing at a huge potential of cement production, had announced providing physical infrastructure for cement factories established with private investment. Construction of infrastructure in mines of 16 cement factories has already started in the current fiscal year, according to the ministry. “We have initiated infrastructure development of 16 cement factories as per the multi-year plan. Infrastructure development will be completed in five factories within the current fiscal year while expansion of roads has started in four factories including Maruti Cement in Janakpur, Palpa Cement in Butwal and CG cement in Palpa from this fiscal year,” Spokesperson at the ministry Yam Kumari Khatiwada said. Construction of roads to mines of Dang Cement, Rolpa Cement, Ghorahi Cement, and Sonapur Cement has also started. The ministry revealed that construction of access roads to factories of CG Cement (second), Sarbottam Cement, Butwal Cement, Laxmi Cement of Lalitpur, Shivam Cement in Hetauda, Makwanpur and Makalu Cement of Shivapur had already started. Nepali cement factories will not be allowed to use imported clinkers after mid-April 2016, according to a new government policy.