About 32 years ago, i.e. in the 50s, carpets accounted for 60 percent of the main products exported from Nepal. According to the government data at the time, carpets, which accounted for a large part of Nepali goods exports, were exported to America, Europe, Germany and other countries worth 13 to 14 billion annually.
Thousands of people got jobs in Kathmandu Valley alone. Especially uneducated women also had the opportunity to weave carpets. Most of the workers working in the carpet industry centered in Kathmandu were from Sindhupalchok. After that, the workers of Makwanpur stayed in Kathmandu and weaved carpets.
Towards the end of 2050, the carpet industry was expanding beyond the valley. Makwanpur was one of the districts where the carpet factory expanded. At that time, the number of carpet factories in Makwanpur had reached about a dozen. As the factories started to expand in the hills and local market areas, the workers also started moving to more affordable and convenient places. Especially at that time it was becoming difficult to live in Kathmandu due to the problem of drinking water and pollution. The issue of carpets spoiling the environment and the use of child labor was also raised. Carpet investors also wanted to go out of the valley .
Makwanpur near Kathmandu was the choice of investors . Dhruv Sanjel, the owner of Koshi Zone Carpet Industry, said that workers will be easily found in Makwanpur and they will also get jobs near their homes. He said that after moving the factory, the workers will return to the district from Kathmandu as well.
Therefore, Dhruvtara carpet factory was brought into operation in Makwanpur as a branch of Koshi zone carpet industry from one year ago . There were 48 carpet looms in the said industry. 400 people got jobs in carpet weaving and yarn spinning. The women of the village also spin yarn during their leisure time in the evening . They used to get 25 to 30 rupees for spinning 1 kg of yarn.
At that time, this income was considered good. Even after being a housewife, women used to get the job of spinning yarn . However, the factory owners demanded that the municipal taxes and the hardships given to investors under various names should be removed. Investors said that if the government agencies and former local bodies help, employment opportunities will be created at the local level and production costs will also decrease.
Investors complained to government agencies about the lack of technology for wool cutting and dyeing plants in the district and the problem of spending a lot of money on transportation. Sanjel, an entrepreneur, informed that it is difficult to operate the factory outside the district due to the government's difficult policy.
The entrepreneur demanded to make Hetaunda the center of carpet industry and create an environment where buyers go there . Locals were also confident that Makwanpur could become a hub for carpet production to reduce legal and political hassles.
Kantipur published a news on 2050 Chait 13 under the title 'Hetaunda may become a fertile land for carpet industry', focusing on the issue of carpet factory expanding in various places including Hetaunda of Makwanpur, adding the possibility of carpet industry in the market and villages, and the jobs created by it. At that time, carpets, one of the main export items that earned foreign exchange, have not been able to flourish. Now only Zenten factories are operating .
Presentation: Rishiram Paudyal
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