Candidates make common commitment to develop Nepalgunj as herbal processing hub

By Siraj Khan Nepalgunj, May 8: Nepalgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industry has received signatures of all six mayoral candidates of Nepalgunj Sub-Metropolitan City to make Nepalgunj a prosperous city.

Amid a function organised here on Saturday, Prashant Bista, mayoral candidate of Nepali Congress, Pashupati Dayal Mishra of CPN-UML, Nandalal Baishya of RPP, Abhay Basnet of RPP-N, Independent Dinesh Thapa and Bikas Bahadur Singh have signed a 12-point commitment letter.

By signing the commitment letter, the mayoral candidates have assured to make Nepalgunj a hub of herbal processing and develop tourism and industries, which are considered as the basis of prosperity not only in the city but also in the Sudurpaschim Province.

Abdul Wahid Mansuri, president of Nepalgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industry said, “Though Karnali and Lumbini Provinces are the centre of herbal production, collection and export of those products are done from Nepalgunj. So, we asked the mayoral candidates to make a commitment to make the city a hub of herbal processing.”

If the country could export herbs after processing, a large amount of foreign exchange could be brought in and job opportunities could be created in the country, he added.

In the commitment letter, the candidates pledged to commercialize the agricultural sector to substitute import by promoting local production for Nepalgunj, develop the city as a hub of herbal processing centre and build industrial corridors based on local needs.

Speaking at the event, mayoral candidate of the ruling alliance Bista said that not only Nepalgunj but also the broader western Nepal could turn prosperous if the 12-point commitment prepared by the Nepalgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industry could be implemented.

Similarly, UML mayoral candidate Mishra said that Nepalgunj would become the industrial capital of the country if attention was paid to the development of herbs, industries and tourism.

Similarly, Baishya, former president of Chamber of Commerce, who is the mayoral candidate of RPP, said that industry, commerce, tourism, education, health and infrastructure development are the basis of a prosperous Nepalgunj.

During the event, industrialists and entrepreneurs of Nepalgunj interacted with the mayoral candidates and inquired about their plans after winning the election.