Suryatara Cement Industry construction to resume

By Our Correspondent,Surkhet, Apr. 6: Preparations are being made to move forward with the construction of the Suryatara Cement Industry.

Although work had already started earlier, it was halted due to a lack of government support. Now, work on the project is likely to resume.

According to the project, the lack of an investment-friendly environment from the provincial government had made it very challenging to proceed. 

Mukunda Prasad Timilsina, Chairman of Suryatara Investment Company, said that they have resumed efforts for the establishment of the industry with high hopes from the newly formed government. 

He added that despite repeated requests to the provincial government to support basic infrastructure development, they faced significant difficulties.

He said that the work is now being resumed after the government expressed commitment to provide some support. 

Some construction activities for the industry have already begun, Timilsina said. The project had been halted due to the lack of electricity, drinking water, and access roads. 

The provincial government has now agreed to help develop these infrastructures, he said. In its policies and programmes unveiled for the fiscal year 2025/26, the provincial government has also committed to supporting infrastructure for large industries and plans to allocate a budget accordingly.

The provincial government is also constructing a 10-kilometre road for transporting mining materials required for the project. 

The Provincial Infrastructure Development Directorate initiated work on the road, which is now in its final stage, according to Acting Director Surya Bahadur Shahi.

The government has allocated Rs. 5 million for the road construction. 

The road will connect Lakhrapata of Barahatal Rural Municipality-7 to Khambagade on the Madan Bhandari Highway. 

According to the Detailed Project Report (DPR), the estimated cost is Rs. 1.2 billion. The work includes track opening, drainage construction, retaining walls, culverts, and graveling, and is currently progressing rapidly.

With the provincial government’s support, further work on the industry will continue. 

The company had received approval from the Investment Board Nepal in 2022 to operate the industry, with a goal of starting production within two years, and had already begun preliminary infrastructure work. 

The previously halted work has now resumed.The industry is expected to be established with an investment of approximately Rs. 15 billion. 

The Investment Board Nepal has already approved an investment of Rs. 14.275 billion.

According to Chairman Timilsina, limestone will be extracted from 95,000 hectares of land in Lakhrapata, Barahatal Rural Municipality-7, and 42 bighas of land have been acquired in Chaukune Rural Municipality for the industry site. 

As construction progresses, the company plans to seek additional investment, including foreign investment, due to the large capital requirements.