JUTE MILL FIRE IN SUNSARI CAUSES RS. 6 MILLION DAMAGE

FIRE AT JUTE FACTORY IN SUNSARI CASUES DAMAGE ESTIMATED AT RS 6 MILLION

Kathmandu, 12 Oct. A fire overnight at a jute factory in Sonapur
, Sunsari, caused damage an estimated at six million rupees.dmage.
The fire broke out at 6.30 in the evening.
Firefighters from neighbouring and Biratnagar doused out the fire after a two-hour effort
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KAMAL THAPA ENTERS SEMI-FINALS OF LAWN
TENNIS TOURNAMET IN NEW DELHI

Kathmandu, 12 Oct.: Defending champion Kamal Thapa
Tuesday entered the semi-final of the All India Senior Lawn Tennis Tournament U-55 age group in New Delhi.
The RPP-Nepal Chairman defeated Pushparaj 6-0, 6-2.and meets
Ram Mohan Roy Wednesday.
In a double win, Thapa and Ram Babu entered the semi-final beating KP Swami and Ajya Agrawal 6-2,6-1.
Both semi-finals are being held Wednesday.
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MEDIA GOOGLE

“The UCPN (Maoist) is not committed to army integration.
A constitution cannot be drafted until the Maoist [rty shown honesty.”

(UML General Secretary Ishwor Pokhrel, The Kathmandu Post,
12 Oct.)
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32 factories shut in two decades
AJIT TIWARI
BIRATNAGAR, Oct 12: More than 32 big and small industries in Sunsari-Morang Industrial Corridor - one of the largest industrial areas in the country - have closed over the past two decades.

Majority of them left the corridor because of energy crisis. Moreover, even the industries that are in operation have cut production, citing power crisis. Most of those industries were manufacturing jute, garments, ghee and corrugated sheets among others.


Som Adhikary of Morang Trade Organization said most of the industries in the corridor were facing difficulties to operate at their optimum capacity due to energy crisis. “Almost all the industries in the corridor have curtailed production due to power cuts,” Adhikary added.

Though many industries have left the corridor, about half a dozen big industries with Indian investment are still in operation. Surya Nepal - a subsidiary of India´s ITC Ltd - recently closed its corridor-based garment unit, citing labor problems.

Apart from energy crisis, local industrialists also cite political instability, labor militancy, lack of raw materials and state apathy to industrial sector as the other reasons behind closure of industries.

Twelve industries have shut operation in Mills Area (near Biratnagar) alone. Only two industries - Raghupati Jute Mills and Hulas Motors - are currently in operation in Mills Area.

Textile producers Ganapati Cotton Mills and Everest Industry ceased operation 15 years ago after they failed to compete with cheaper Indian products.

Morang Sugar Mill, Morang Auto Works, Shah Industry, Ashok Textile and Hanuman Jute Press are among the industries in the corridor that have closed
during the period.
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Airlines report normal business during Dashain
REPUBLICA
KATHMANDU, Oct 11: Dashain business for airlines has been far from overwhelming, with people mostly choosing to travel by road.

Airlines said that there was no change in passenger flow compared to last Dashain. They said that good access to roads and increased airfare were major barriers to growth.


The rise in Air Turbine Fuel has led airfares to rise by nearly 50 percent in a year. Also, airlines sticking to normal fare during the festival made fights back home an expensive proposition for many.

Buddha Air´s Executive Manager Rupesh Joshi said that the overall turnover was satisfactory but there was no remarkable change compared to festive season last year.

More than 2,500 passengers took Buddha Air flights during Dashain whereas it would see around 1,900 passengers flying Buddha Air during the same period in normal times.

Similarly, Yeti Airlines, which would have around 1,200 to 1,300 passengers in normal times, had 1,600 to 1,700 passengers flying during Dashain, excluding remote sectors. Guna Airlines flew around 400 passengers during Dashain as against 320-350 in normal times.

Joshi of Buddha Air said that the airline added a 70-seater flight for Bhadrapur and Biratnagar sectors, starting from the sixth day of Dashain till Purnima. According to Ankur Rana, reservation manager of Yeti Airlines, during Dashain they added one or two 29-seater aircraft.

Rana said a large number of people traveled via road as there was no blockade or strike. Prajwal Thapa, sales and marketing manager of Guna Airlines, echoed Rana adding that the increased fare was also a deterrent.

However, the promotional fare offered by the airlines while returning from Bhadrapur and Biratnagar to Kathmandu saw 95-100 percent occupancy.

Rana of Yeti Airlines said that there was a growth of 25 percent in passengers in other sectors (excluding Bhadrapur and Biratnagar). Joshi of Buddha Air said, "It may be because of the increased number of aircraft and frequency, there was no big rush for
Dashain tickets."
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