Industrial District Management Limited of Hetauda has launched a drive to recover land from manufacturing units that have terminated operation. These manufacturing units have been issued 35-day notice to vacate the space.

At least eight manufacturing units based in Hetauda’s industrial estate have shut down their operation over the years. But they have not handed over the land to the industrial estate. This practice of occupying land, but not putting it to productive use, has denied opportunities to others who intend to set up manufacturing base in the industrial estate. One such manufacturing enterprise that has remained closed for a long time is Nepal Vanaspati Ghee Industry. The factory, which terminated its operation in the fiscal year 2007-08, has occupied around 89 ropanis (approximately 4.5 hectares) of land. 

“The company has neither made productive use of land nor handed over the property to us,” said Nepal Bhushan Vaidya, manager of Industrial District Management Limited of Hetauda. “We have directed the company to demolish the structure built on the area occupied by it and hand over the property within 35 days.” The notice was issued around a week ago. “We are also planning to issue a public notice in this regard,” Vaidya said.

Other seven firms that have not made productive use of the space in the industrial estate have also been served similar notice. These firms include Baniya Multiproduct, Super Lemicoats, Gasik Textiles, National Pole, Pashupati Zipper, Sujan Dairy and Sujan Foods. These manufacturing companies have occupied around 155 ropanis of land, of which around 75 ropanis is currently being used. “The companies that are doing nothing on the occupied property are doing great injustice to entrepreneurs who are not being able to establish or expand their businesses because of unavailability of land,” said Vaidya. “We have thus taken this initiative to remove units that have not made productive use of the space leased out to them.”

The industrial area in Hetauda was built in 1963 with the support of the US government. It spreads across 2,829 ropanis of land. It has already leased out all the land plots where manufacturing units could be established. Around 80 manufacturing firms are currently operating in the industrial area. 

“Due to shortage of land in the industrial area, new manufacturing firms have not been able to set up bases there,” said Makwanpur Association of Industries President Nawaraj Aryal. “The practice of doing nothing on occupied land should come to an end.”

The government has initiated the process of setting up another industrial area in Hetauda to facilitate manufacturing firms to set up bases.

Currently, 10 industrial areas are operational in the country. These estates are located

in Balaju, Patan, Hetauda, Dharan, Nepalgunj, Pokhara, Butwal, Bhaktapur, Birendranagar, Gajendranarayan Singh (Rajbiraj). Although land has been allocated for establishment of an industrial estate in Dhankuta as well, construction work is yet to begin.