The detailed project report (DPR) of the new industrial area in Province 3 will be finalised soon, according to a state-owned enterprise that is overseeing implementation of the project.

Industrial District Management Limited (IDML), a state-owned company which oversees all industrial areas in the country, had selected a joint venture between CRS, Jarsa and ECN to prepare the DPR of the proposed industrial estate in Mayurdhap of Hetauda Sub-metropolitan City. “The joint venture will soon finalise the report and hand it to us,” said Sanjay Manandhar, director of Planning and Development Division of IDML.

The construction of the new industrial area will begin after the DPR is approved by the IDML. It will take around two years to complete the construction works, according to IDML.

The new industrial area is expected promote the country’s flagging manufacturing sector and create jobs. The industrial area is being built as per the government’s decision to build one industrial estate in each of the seven provinces. If the new industrial area is built, it will be the second one in Hetauda.

Currently, fences are being built around the proposed industrial area site in Mayurdhap. The new industrial area will spread on 210 bighas of land (approximately 142 hectares). “Around 75 percent of this area has been fenced by installing 1,700 poles made of cement,” IDML Manager Nepal Bhusan Vaidya said. “The contractor will install 400 additional poles and complete works related to fencing within mid-December.”

The location of the new industrial area is ideal for manufacturing units, as it is not very far away from the highway. Also, electricity lines could be extended to this area easily, IDML officials said. The location of the new industrial area is also not far away from the existing industrial estate. The establishment of the new industrial area in Mayurdhap is also expected to help in economic development of surrounding areas such as Churiyamai and Padam Pokhari.

Hetauda saw its first industrial area in 1963. The estate, which spreads on 2,829 ropanis of land, was built with the support of the US government. More than 60 enterprises are currently operating in the estate, creating jobs for over 2,400 people.

The first industrial area in Nepal was established at Balaju in Kathmandu in 1960 through the support of the US government. Currently, there are 11 industrial areas in the country in Balaju, Patan, Hetauda, Dharan, Nepalgunj, Pokhara, Butwal, Bhaktapur, Birendranagar, Gajendranarayan Singh (Rajbiraj) and Dhankuta. However, the industrial area in Dhankuta has not come into operation till date.