First construction expo concludes

KATHMANDU, Dec 4: The five-day Nepa Construction Expo 2012, which brought together leading construction material producers, dealers, equipment distributors and other construction service producers under a single roof, concluded on Tuesday.



The expo recorded a footfall of more than 12,000 visitors through the five days of the event, said Nepa Construct Exhibitions Pvt Ltd (NECPL), the organizer of the event. Participants of the expo enjoyed transactions of more than Rs 50 million. [break]



"The first ever construction expo held in the country has greatly lifted the confidence of the construction sector which has been going through a lean phase lately. I beleive the second such expo that will be held in the future will be still more effective," Hriyadesh Tripathi, minister for Physical Planning, Works and Transport Management (MoPPWTM) said at the closing ceremony.



"We are pretty excited with the flow of people and encouragement we got from the exhibitors," Lal Chandra Gautam, director of NECPL told Republica. Gautam, further mentioned that NECPL has decided to hold second expo in coming August.



"We will visit some of the international construction exhibitions taking place in different countries in upcoming days in order to learn and make the second exhibition more effective in every way," Gautam said.



In his address, Minister Tripathi expressed government´s readiness to support the construction sector in every possible way. "Like other sectors, construction too has been hit hard by hurdles such as power shortage and political instability," Tripathi said. "We are committed to correcting the existing weaknesses and making this sector more vibrant."



Jaya Ram Lamichhane, president of the Federation of Contractors´ Association of Nepal (FCAN) said the first construction exhibition in the country has enabled the contractors to learn many lessons.



The expo had participation of more than 400 companies and distributors showcasing their products through around 70 stalls and 10 pavilions. "The exhibition was quite satisfactory though we have not been able to bring as much people as we expected," Gautam said.

Construction materials such as pipes, fittings, colors and heavy construction equipment were available at the expo. Heavy construction equipment from companies such as Case and Force were put on display at the expo.

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