Kush Kumar Joshi, president of Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), said armed groups operating under different names are issuing extortion letters targeting businessmen individually and more businessmen are receiving death threats in writing. [break]
FNCCI further informed that unknown groups have already killed two businessmen, including a medicines dealer in Birgunj, over the last one month after the infamous killing of media entrepreneur Jamim Shah in Kathmandu, terrorizing the business community as a whole. The apex business body also flayed the failure of the security agency in nabbing the killers.
“Instead the failure of security agencies and gross impunity has spurred crime in the country,” Joshi said.
Anxious over government´s continued apathy and fragile security situation, FNCCI has decided to formally handover the threat letters to the police for necessary action. Referring that such a situation has left entrepreneurs in a position whereby they cannot continue with their businesses, Joshi on Wednesday demanded the government to instantly step up security and pledge security to the business community.
Talking to mediapersons, Joshi also demanded the government to immediately constitute industrial security force (ISF) -- something that has been promised since long but has not materialized so far.
“The government must mobilize ISF to provide security to the entrepreneurs as well,” he said, adding that the business community will extend all possible support to the government for constituting such a security force.
If the government continued to ignore security problems, FNCCI cautioned that the investment climate will doom and country would fail to create much needed sustainable jobs from the private sector.
To raise its concerns, FNCCI has decided to meet with Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal next week.
FNCCI that held its executive body´s meeting a couple of days ago has also urged the government to address other problems facing the industrial sector like protracted load shedding, liquidity crunch in the banking system and soaring borrowing rates.
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