Govt likely to unveil SEZ Operation Manual today
KATHMANDU, May 14:
The government is likely to unveil Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Operation Manual on Thursday.
The manual is expected to pave the way for the operation of Bhairahawa SEZ. Construction works on Bhairahawa SEZ have already been completed. The government decided to come up with SEZ Manual as the legislature parliament is yet to endorse the SEZ Bill.
Officials at the Ministry of Industry (MoI), the parent ministry of SEZ Development Committee, said they prepared SEZ Manual as they cannot wait until the winter session of the legislature parliament to pass the SEZ Bill.
The government had tabled SEZ Bill in the parliament in 2008.
MoI prepared SEZ Operation Manual to bring Bhairahawa SEZ into operation at the earliest. “The manual is likely to be approved by the cabinet on Thursday. Once it is approved, it will pave the way for industries to move into SEZ,” Minister for Industry Karna Bahadur Thapa told Republica. “We will request Prime Minister Sushil Koirala to inaugurate Bhairahawa SEZ once the operation manual is approved.”
Altogether 68 plots in Bhairahawa SEZ are ready to host industries, according to Shankar Man Singh, executive director of SEZ Development Committee. “We are waiting for the SEZ Operation Manual to formally bring Bhairahawa SEZ into operation,” Singh said, adding, “We will soon call for Expression of Interest (EoI) from parties interested to open factories in SEZ.”
According to Singh, construction of service center and water treatment plant is going on.
The Bhairahawa SEZ is spread over 52 bighas of land. It boasts of all the facilities required for industries.
The government built SEZ to increase country´s exports. According to the SEZ Operation Manual, industries in SEZ should export 75 percent of their total production. Industries in SEZ enjoy income tax exemption.
Business leaders have long been demanding that government for early endorsement of SEZ Bill to bring SEZ into operation at the earliest.
At present, the government is constructing SEZs in Panchkhal of Kavre and Simara of Bara. Similarly, it is in the process of acquiring land for SEZ in Biratnagar of Morang.
Source: Republica
