Hetauda Cement Industry has suspended production today as it could not buy coal in time due to a financial crunch.

The industry consumes 3,600 metric tons of coal per month. Industry General Manager Basanta Raj Pandey said the industry was in operation before the start of the Dashain festival holiday and had produced 300,000 sacks of cement during that period. He shared that they had to suspend production as they could not buy coal from third countries due to the economic crisis.

According to him, the Minister and the Secretary of the Industry, Commerce, and Supplies Ministry, the Federal Government, have been informed of this dire situation of the industry, and production can be resumed if the federal government provides the financial assistance.

He added that preparation has been made for supplying and selling a total of 300,000 sacks of cement to various cities, including Kathmandu, and the income from this would be used for purchasing coal. Around 390 employees work in the industry.