The plan to establish the Shaktikhor Industrial Zone in Chitwan has been under discussion for the past eight years, but no tangible progress has been made. It has been nearly a decade since the government announced its intention to develop the site, once home to the Third Division of the former Maoist combatants, into an industrial zone. Yet, the construction process has not commenced.
Numerous ministers and members of parliament visited the proposed site, all promising to initiate construction. However, despite repeated assurances and declarations, these commitments have yet to be fulfilled. Recently, local representatives have renewed their interest in the project.
Binod Regmi, Mayor of Kalika Municipality, where the site is located, has been actively engaged with the project. In an effort to advance the construction, he has frequently brought ministers and MPs to the site for inspections.
On November 16, Sukumaya Tamang, Minister for Industry, Commerce, Land Management of the province government, and Administration of Bagmati Province, conducted an on-site visit to review the status of the proposed industrial zone. Minister Tamang, accompanied by Mayor Regmi and a team, assessed the situation and pledged to expedite the construction process.
Minister Tamang assured, “I will discuss the Shaktikhor Industrial Zone project with the Chief Minister of the province and also apprise the matter to federal ministers. I am committed to actively pursuing this issue to ensure progress.” She further stated her intent to consult relevant ministries for additional insights.
Mayor Regmi expressed optimism following the minister's assurances, saying, “We are encouraged by the minister’s commitment to moving the process forward. There is renewed hope that the industrial zone will finally take shape.”
In previous efforts, Mayor Regmi had approached then-Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and former Finance Minister Barshaman Pun to expedite the project, but no progress was made. Regmi now plans to draw the attention of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Finance Minister Bishnu Poudel to this matter.
The decision to develop Shaktikhor as an industrial zone was taken during a Cabinet meeting on 15 February 2017, under the leadership of then-Prime Minister Dahal. A Detailed Project Report (DPR) has already been prepared, and the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was approved by the Ministry of Forests and Environment in May 2020.
Despite these preparatory steps, efforts to move forward with construction have been unsuccessful. Mayor Regmi attributed the delay to a letter issued by the Forest Directorate under Bagmati Province’s Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Forests, and Environment on 20 January 2021, which obstructed progress.
The Division Forest Office in Bharatpur, in a letter dated 8 January 2021, estimated the cost of clearing 250,000 trees for the project. However, the Forest Directorate responded that the proposed area is an ecologically sensitive habitat, corridor, and site of biological diversity, stating that any new structures would be “entirely unacceptable from an environmental perspective.”
Under the former government’s "One Province, One Industrial Zone" policy, the Shaktikhor site was earmarked for development across 1,287 hectares of land. According to the DPR,482 hectares are allocated for industries, 215 hectares for commercial buildings, and 43 hectares for residential buildings.
However, the ambitious plan remains stuck in bureaucratic hurdles and environmental concerns, leaving the much-anticipated industrial zone a distant dream.
