As the Nepalese auto industry reels under the pressure of COVID-19 induced lockdown, NADA Automobiles Association of Nepal (NADA), the apex body of automotive dealers in Nepal, has said the Nepalese automobile sector has been hit hard by the current lockdown and is showing signs of more severe distress. In a press statement issued in the capital today, Krishna Prasad Dulal, President-NADA, has urged the government to reconsider the current ban and keep the Nepalese automobile sector afloat.

“The current lockdown is not only crippling the country’s economy but is also creating a dire problem of unemployment. With the government unable to address this, the problem is bound to get worse as the ban is extended. Today, the automobile sector has been hit hard by the lockdown and the automobile dealers have been deprived of their business.”, added Dulal.

NADA urges the government to reconsider this ban and develop guidelines to bring the automobile sector back on wheels. The sector which has been left out of the government’s emphasis is in the necessity of financial support and demand revival. The economic cost of the lockdown and the employment of thousands of Nepalis are at stake. Therefore, an immediate lifting of the lockdown with necessary precautionary measures is needed.