Factory owners demand larger security force

NEPALGUNJ, JUL 24 -

Entrepreneurs in Western Nepal have asked the government to beef up the Industrial Security Force (ISF) as the number of factories have swelled tremendously and security requirements have increased.

The industrialists said that the security force was too small to handle the expanded needs. There are 345 armed police personnel under the ISF to protect factories scattered over 26 districts from Butwal to Kanchanpur.  

A flurry of new factories have opened in the region since the end of the armed conflict eight years ago. Even though the fighting has stopped, industrialists still face threats from trade unions and assorted Tarai-based armed outfits who have been engaged in extortion.

The government deployed the IFS last year to provide security to the factories operating across the country. The Industrial Security Battalion has 185 armed police personnel based in Nepalgunj and another 160 personnel based in Dhangadhi.

These two units have been providing security to the manufacturing plants in 26 districts in the Mid-Western and Far Western regions.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Subodh Adhikari, who is also the chief of the ISF, said that entrepreneurs had been asking the government to provide extra security forces. Although the formation of the ISF has provided some relief to entrepreneurs, they said that it was too small to be very effective.  

Hom Pandey of Sona Cement Factory, Dang said that cases of extortion had declined after the Industrial Security Force was set up. “If the ISF units had been based close to the factories, they would have been more effective,” he added.

Entrepreneurs in Dang have been demanding that an ISF unit be deployed in Shivapuri of Bijauri village development committee. The area has the necessary infrastructure which was built by the Maoist combatants during the conflict.

Factory owners in Dang, Bardia and Surkhet in particular have been asking the government to increase the number of ISF units in the area. There has been a massive increase in the number of production plants in these districts lately. The ISF has also been providing security to the Customs Offices and Inland Revenue Offices. Recently, a team led by DIG Adhikari studied the impact of the ISF.

Adhikari said almost all the factories had demanded that the number of ISF units be increased. However, he said that bringing reinforcements would not be possible for now due to insufficient manpower.

There are 300 factories in Banke alone. “Due to their scattered locations, providing security to all of them is a major challenge due to limited resources,” said ISF Battalion Chief Superintendent of Police Bidur Gurung.

Source: The Kathmandu Post