Hetauda, Aug. 8 -- The clatter of weaving looms returned to the grounds of Hetauda Textile Industry on Saturday morning, as the historic state-owned factory conducted its first preliminary test production after nearly two and a half decades of closure.

The trial followed the government's decision to task the Nepali Army with repairing the dilapidated factory and restoring its production capacity.

A technical team from the army's Directorate of Military Materiel Production in Kathmandu has spent the past 40 days at the industrial complex. About 40 technicians and soldiers of various ranks were deployed to clear the neglected premises, overhaul the ageing power supply system and service mechanical looms that had remained idle for years. ...