August 28: The production of the nation’s major industrial corridors has shrunk due to the prohibitory order imposed by the government to control the spread of coronavirus infection. The industrial activities, that were returning to normalcy after the government last month lifted the four-month long lockdown, has slowed down recently.

Prohibitory orders have now been imposed in more than 50 districts due to the increase in the number of coronavirus cases. Entrepreneurs say that production has declined as both the center of production and the major markets have been affected.

Subodh Kumar Gupta, senior vice president of Birgunj Chamber of Commerce, informed that the production of most of the industries in Bara-Parsa industrial corridor has dropped below 25 percent of their capacity.

Similar is the condition of Sunsari-Morang industrial corridor. Entrepreneurs say that they have had to cut off 40 percent production capacity after the prohibitory order was imposed following an increase in number of infection in major commercial cities such as Biratnagar, Itahari, Dharan, Damak, and Birtamode of Province 1.

They further say that the workers in the industries of Sunsari-Morang industrial corridor have stopped coming to work after the infection started appearing among the workers. On one hand, there is fear of infection, and on the other hand the production of the industries has been affected as the workers have stopped coming to the work.