New Delhi, Aug 9 (Mayank Nigam) ‘Nepal is witnessing a construction boom and Indian companies needs to take advantage of it,’ said Abhishek Upadhyay, First Secretary (Commerce), Embassy of India, Kathmandu, Nepal while speaking at the launch of “India eConstruct Expo” organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC). “Indian companies have a competitive advantage while operating in Nepal. There are four elements to that advantage, which are – familiarity, access, proximity and cost competitiveness,” he added.
He cited that even in pandemic situation, construction sector in Nepal has witnessed 9% growth. He also added that Nepal has launched 52 mega projects across sectors such as transport & highways, irrigation and civil aviation. About the opportunities in Philippines, Nishi Kant Singh, First Secretary (Commerce), Embassy of India, Manila, Philippines said, ‘A positive perception has developed about the Indian capability. The point is how the Indian companies can take proactive role in the infrastructure development.’ Both the embassy officials emphasised that Indian construction companies have a lot of scope and urged ICC to sensitise its members about the opportunities.
Indronil Sengupta, Chair, ASEAN-Indian Business Council was of the view that Indian companies needs to go through three stages: First, the bundling of its offerings, second, focusing on Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) and the third stage should be to focus on investment. Mr Harish Taparia, CEO, SPG Mining highlighted the importance of white marble for home beautification. Earlier, Pradeep Sureka, Senior Vice President, ICC, welcomed the dignitaries and said that construction sector needs to adopt better technologies to ensure better quality within the stipulated timeframe.