A delegation of the Nepalese business community met with Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and Minister for Home Khum Bahadur Khadka Wednesday and asked them to ensure security of industries.

Their demand came following some Maoist women who set ablaze the Shah Distillery in Nepalgunj causing damage to tens of millions rupees. According to the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industries, an umbrella organization of businessmen, the delegation asked the Prime Minister and Home Minister to solve the problem through dialogue with Maoists and take serious measures to provide protection and security of the industries.

“We warned that Nepalese industries would be closed one day if necessary security was not provided by the government,” said a businessman, who was one of the members of the delegation. “We cannot operate industries under such an environment of threat and pressure,” he said.