Finance Minister Rameshwor Prasad Khanal has said that it is possible to easily export stones and pebbles from Lumbini Province. He said that he is ready to play a positive role as there will be no environmental damage if the excavation is done properly.

Speaking at a welcome program organized by the Siddhartha Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Thursday, he informed that there have been discussions on the issue of opening the export of stones and gravel in the past. ‘If it takes time for the union to make the necessary laws for the export of stones and gravel, the provinces can also make laws and implement them,’ he said. ‘The provinces can manage the natural resources of their area. The federal government will look into the issue of large mines.’

 He said that he would talk to the Industry Minister on this issue and take the initiative to fulfill the demand in the remaining period. ‘The issue of exporting stones and gravel has been a demand for years,’ he said. ‘I will work to bring it to a conclusion in the remaining period of the current government.’

He said that in the two months since the government was formed, he could not focus on the issue of operating the Gautam Buddha International Airport. He said that the remaining period will focus on operating the airport, which has so much investment from the state. ‘We are positive about operating the airport,’ he said. ‘We will spend the remaining period on it.’ He said that he had come to Bhairahawa with a team from the ministry to study how to reduce the international trade deficit. 

Siddhartha Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Netra Prasad Acharya said that the local market of Rupandehi has not been promoted due to goods purchased from the Indian market without duty. He said that the smuggling of fertilizers has been going on for years, which has affected the collection of customs revenue. He demanded that it be made a tourism-friendly border as many tourists enter the country through Belhiya in Rupandehi. He demanded that grants be introduced for enterprises and businesses and a program to boost the morale of investors as challenges have been seen in the operation of industries after the Gen-G movement in the country. ‘The tax process should be made simple and transparent,’ he said, ‘We demand meaningful participation of the private sector at the policy-making level to promote industry and trade.’

The industrialists and businessmen of Rupandehi who participated in the program told about the problems they were facing. The businessmen said that the customs rate should be reduced to control smuggling and adjust prices. Businessmen Ravi Rauniyar said that many people are in trouble because the mechanism for testing fake invoices has not been prepared yet. Tourism entrepreneur Sanjay Bajimayi demanded improvement of the Belahiya border crossing, which is the entry point to Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha. ‘There is a problem of overtraffic and load,’ he said, ‘The payment method should be made easier in the international sector.’

Industrialist Ujwal Kasaju thanked the government for reducing the rent of the Special Economic Zone (SEZ). The government has reduced the SEZ rent by 75 percent to Rs 5 per square meter. He said that this has put a bandage on the wounds of the industrialists. He also demanded facilitation in the export of products made by the SEZ industries. Tanka Pokharel, Lumbini Province President of the Nepal Chamber of Commerce, requested the government to leave no stone unturned to boost the morale of the private sector. ‘May the good work you have done also put pressure on the government that will be elected in the future,’ he said, ‘Do everything that needs to be done to operate the Gautam Buddha Airport.’ He urged the people to work for the development of the economic sector in a way that the people can feel. He said that this will put the country on the path of progress. 

Thakur Kumar Shrestha, former president of the Siddhartha Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that although the Rupandehi-Parasi region has been developed as an economic hub, there may be problems in the future as the Integrated Check Post (ICP) in Bhairahawa is not connected to the Indian railway. He requested that the initiative be taken to connect the railway to the ICP, even if it is through high-level talks with the Indian government. The program was attended by industrialists and businessmen from Siddharthanagar, Tilottama and Butwal. Finance Minister Khanal inspected the industrial sector including the ICP at the Belahiya checkpoint on Thursday morning.