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Bringing Special Economic Zone (SEZ) To Operation
By KTM Metro Reporter
December 31, 2013: The government of Nepal is all set to bring its first special economic zone (SEZ) at Bhairawaha by February 2014, officials said on Monday. The construction of this much-talked-about SEZ began 12 years ago, according to the Xinhua news.
The Ministry of Industry (MoI) previously had planned to operate the SEZ at Bhairawaha by mid-April this year but it could not meet its target after the contractor failed to complete the construction within the time. "The construction of necessary buildings, infrastructures and setting up of other facilities including water treatment plant in the SEZ has been completed," Industry Secretary Krishna Gyanwali told Xinhua on Monday on phone, "If nothing irreversible falls on the way, the first SEZ will come to operation by February next year."
Secretary Krishna Gyanwali also said that the ministry was busy with preparing norms for setting up factories in the SEZ and providing the land to the manufacturing units on lease. "We are developing a standard in regards to which sorts of factories be allowed to operate within SEZ for how long period and on what basis, including others," Gyanwali said, adding that the task would be completed within two weeks.
The ministry also has been preparing ‘expression of interest’ (EoI) for the interested industries to come up with the proposals for running industries within the SEZ boundary. "Once we inaugurate the SEZ, we will promptly flout the EoI asking the private sector to come in the SEZ for industrial operation," Yam Kumari Khatiwada, joint secretary at the ministry told Xinhua.
A total of 52 plots have been developed for 200 factories in the Bhairawaha SEZ located at about 250 km to the west of Kathmandu. The government first conducted a study on setting up a SEZ in 1983. The program was first announced 17 years ago adopting the Chinese model of SEZ and its contribution to the industrial growth.
The MoI is currently doing feasibility studies on establishing SEZs in other areas such as Jumla, Kapilvastu, Dhanusha, Siraha, Jhapa, Gorkha and Rautahat. It has already completed a feasibility study in Ratomata and Dhangadhi.
Earlier in the first week of February this year, the government decided to run the SEZ through a SEZ Development Committee after its attempt to introduce a SEZ Act failed due to the absence of parliament.
