Economists comment that it is a mistake for the government to rely on decisions and directives to bring in laws, the country's economy will be adversely affected if it has been in this situation for a long time, claims that such activities of the government will increase unemployment in the country.
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There is a shop in an inner street in Chipledhunga in Pokhara that sells photo frames all over the country. For three days, the owner of this shop, Om Subedi, is deeply worried. He now has the added stress of how to run the business. After the government shut down popular social networks, many businessmen have to find alternatives to earn a living.
Some have been relieved by Tiktok and physically operated businesses. But, those whose business is more run by Facebook and Instagram, they are worried about displacement.
Subedi is one of those businessmen whose business is run through Facebook and Instagram. He has been involved in the photo frame and print business for 18 years. As it is not on the road, other than the regular customers do not know about his shop. The source of his business is social media. He posts his gift items, photo frames, printed clothes and designs on his Facebook page and Instagram profile called Pokhara Online Shop. He said that there is a problem as orders come from there and now the main source of his business has stopped.
'Orders will come from Facebook and Instagram. After that, everything seems to be over now," he lamented. After the lockdown due to Corona in 2076, he was connected to online business. Since then his business has been focused online. He is sad that the government did not think about businessmen like him and shut them down without looking for an alternative. The government does not listen to what we say. There could have been an alternative without such a sudden closure. It is difficult for people who depend on social media,' he said.
Chipledhunga, Mahendrapul, Nayabazar, Newroad are the main markets of Pokhara, where you have to pay expensive rent. Therefore, he cannot run a business in the current place, nor can he move to a new place. He is at a loss as to what to do with the business after both social networks, which are the main sources of business, are closed. He said that two employees had to be fired and the business had to be left.
Sushmita Dhakal has been running a clothing rental business for the last 6 years in Pokhara's Srijan Chowk. Social media is also the main source of business for Pokhara Dress Renting Service. It also has a branch in Sinamangal, Kathmandu. Since Tiktok was running, it has not made much difference to him that he has to keep his head in business. However, he is of the opinion that the government should be serious about the large part of business that is done through social media.
'Since I have already been using Tiktok, it has not been affected so much now,' she said, 'However, customers do not come only from Tiktok. That's why it will have an effect.' She is selling clothes from Pokhara through online channels in Japan, Australia, UK and other countries.
Sanjay Kumar Chaudhary from Janakpurdham, who graduated in Information Technology, has been doing online business for four years along with his studies. He is the owner of MM Digital Garage and is providing online services to 40 businessmen. 6 youths have also been given employment. However, after the government closed unregistered social networks, his work has come to a standstill.
Sanjay, who has been designing online advertising and graphics, said that the work has decreased by 50 percent compared to the past. But if the government does not allow social networks to operate, he is worried that these jobs will gradually be taken away. The work has stopped coming. That's why we have called only three people to the office,'' he said. But those platforms are not that effective, he said.
He believes that by shutting down social networks such as Facebook, Messenger, and X, the government has further killed those who are doing technology-based business like themselves. The government has not been able to provide employment to the youth. Even the small jobs are being taken away," he said, "The government has done things to make the poor suffer."
MM Digital Garage is in the same situation as Pathao Nepal. Pathao Parcel has been started in Janakpurdham since 10 months ago. 20 people were being served daily in Dhanusha and Mahottari. Slowly Pathao Parcel was catching up. However, Pathao Janakpur branch representative Alok Kumar Mandal said that after the government shut down the social media, the work of Pathao has come to a standstill.
'We were working according to the previous order until yesterday (Saturday). That's why we got work till two days after the closure," Mandal said, "but today (Sunday) the parcel has not arrived." Indu Singh of Janakpurdham also says that online business has come to a standstill.
A year ago, she started selling fancy goods online after the shutter rent increased. His business has also stopped for three days. "How can business be done when the contact with the customer is broken," she said, "When the government suddenly shuts it down, it seems as if the livelihood has been taken away."
Rajeev Prasad Bhusal, who is selling photos, calendars, t-shirts and posting them on Facebook and Instagram all over the country from Sign Digital Shop at 8 Bhanupath, Butwal Sub-Metropolitan City of Rupandehi, has gone bankrupt due to lack of business. "My business was completely ruined, I couldn't take orders, I didn't even know if the money came or not because the screen shot of the old man sending the money didn't come," he said. He said that there are more than 25,000 transactions a day online, so it will be a big problem if it is closed like this. Bhusal said that now the business has stopped because the customers chose to buy from the posts he made on the network.
Rupa Basnet of Tilottma Municipality-4 driver toll said that business was stopped due to non-working of social media. Babo Kids, his baby goods store, is known for its online business. "Now new goods have been introduced, parents who come to their relatives during the festival used to buy them for their children," she said, "I don't know how the business will work now."
Basnet, who has been selling cars, scooters and bicycles especially for children, said that she could not sell a single item on Saturday. He says that he opened an account on another social network Viber on Sunday and barely sold 1/2. She started doing business online since the Corona period and complained that the government has suddenly closed the business and made the business chaotic. She said that she could not think of who to tell about the impact of her work and how to run the business now. In the
format, many people have been growing their business online even though they have shops. Neha Agarwal, the owner of the 'Bhoj Deals' app, said that due to the shutdown of social media, internal discussions and customer orders could not be delivered easily. He says that every day an offer can be made for customers or information about some new topic has to be posted. Agarwal says that not only in terms of business, but also every ordinary citizen is not able to use the network that is being used on a daily basis. She said that she felt that the government would have implemented the work of making rules and laws from before or if they had not stopped this channel to the citizens after informing the relevant agencies.
Economist Surendra Lab argues that it is a mistake for the government to rely on decisions and directives to do what it should do by bringing laws. He said that if this situation remains for a long time, it will have a bad effect on the country's economy. He says that such activities of the government will increase unemployment in the country. "The most important thing is that if the government does not provide an immediate alternative, it will lose the trust of the citizens," he said. Because it has affected the lower class people the most.'
Rajat Pandey, assistant professor of Rajarshi Janak University, comments that the government has silenced the citizens. He said that the government has violated the law by shutting down social media without giving an alternative. "It's not right to shut down after getting used to the digital age," he said, "The government has done what it did 10 years ago now." Even if the government has taken such a decision to bring the company into the legal realm, he said, it has violated the rights of citizens as a whole.
