Govt directed to show cause of cement price hike

Kathmandu, Jan 22: The House of Representatives, Public Account Committee has directed the government to carry out an extensive study on the topic of the hike in the price of cement and to present within seven days the reason behind this.     

Sharing about the decisions of the Committee's meeting on Wednesday, Committee president Rishikesh Pokharel said: "The construction cost has also increased with the hike in the price of cement and the ministry concerned needs to intervene as this price surge is unusual. This Committee instructs the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies to carry out a study and analysis of the reasons for the price hike, and present a report to the Committee within seven days."     

Similarly, the Committee has directed the Ministry to develop a system of determining the price of consumer goods and to implement it.     

Stating that the Committee has received complaints that there have been power outages in industries for 12 hours even at present, Committee president Pokharel said a decision has also been made to seek an answer from the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation regarding the extent of 'load shedding' in industries.     

The Committee had today held discussions with the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, the Federation of Contractors' Associations of Nepal and the Cement Manufacturers Association regarding the increase in the price of cement. (RSS)