Industrial security has not been given adequate priority by the state even though business enterprises and businessmen have been frequent targets of extortionists, stakeholders said Friday.

Last May, businessman Suresh Kedia of the Kedia Organisation was abducted from Bara and taken to Motihari of Bihar state in India before being rescued by a joint team of Nepali and Indian police personnel.

Political parties and their sister organisations as well as armed groups often force business enterprises to give donations. Considering the threats, the government formed a separate industrial security cell under the Armed Police Force (APF) some three years ago. But the security officers are being deployed for other purposes too which has reduced the efficiency of the cell, stakeholders said.

Deputy Inspector General of the APF Pushpa Ram KC said that the APF personnel assigned to provide industrial security have to deal with leakage in government revenue collection and smuggling.

According to the APF, there are 3,500 officers assigned to industrial security. It provides industrial security through its three battalions stationed in Kathmandu, Itahari and Nepalgunj.

Presenting a paper, former additional inspector general of the APF Rabi Raj Thapa said industrial security was at the bottom of the government’s priority list. “Besides physical threats, the production sector has been facing challenges related to external and internal environment, misuse of intellectual property, warehouse and transport, fire and personal security.”

He urged the private sector to join hands with the APF in research and development to identify the nature of threats to the industrial sector.

Senior Superintendent of Police Bhog Bahadur Thapa said the APF needed to coordinate with the Nepal Police at the grassroots level to deliver effective security to industrialists. “As the Nepal Police has manpower at the local level, coordinating with them could help deliver service in a quick and effective manner,” he said. However, Nepal Police personnel working at the local level have to be well equipped for the purpose, he added.

Meanwhile, industrialists and traders have blamed the industrial security force for failing to provide security to individual production plants.  “The government’s special mechanism is focused only on protecting factories located inside industrial corridors but not those outside,” said trader Manish Agrawal.

Rajen Sharma, former president of the Nepal Freight Forwarders’ Association, urged the establishment of an automated inter-linkage among industries, security units, District Administration Offices and the police so that service could be provided instantly,” Sharma said.

Declaring the production sector a peace zone, establishing a separate help desk at the APF and the Nepal Police and stringently investigating violation of intellectual property were among the concerns raised by the private sector.

Bhawani Rana, senior vice-president of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), expressed concern at growing incidences of cyber crime and increasing insecurity in cities like Birgunj and Bhairahawa in particular.

FCAN to help fight cyber crime

The Federation of Computer Association Nepal (FCAN) said that it had formed an emergency response team to assist the concerned authorities to fight cyber crime. “The team will provide instant service to help control growing cases of cyber crime,” said Binod Dhakal, president of the federation.