By Amar Raj Naharki
Tanahun, Jan. 22: Manoj Shrestha wanted to make a phone call to his family from Hilekharka, a tourist destination located at Ward No. 6, in Abukhaireni Rural Municipality in Tanahu district, where he was staying at a homestay. But his mobile phone showed no signal of tower, leaving him unable to make one.
When Manoj asked the locals if there was a place nearby where he could get a signal, they showed him a tree, which he was supposed to climb to get the signal.
"There was a stair right under the tree to make the climbing process easier. When I reached the tree top, my phone caught some signal and I was able to make the call, but the voice was unclear, signalling that the network was poor," said Manoj.
While Manoj was able to climb the tree and make a call, Sabin Lamichhane, his travel companion and a journalist based in Damauli, in Tanahu district, couldn’t make one because he was unable to climb the tree.
The problem faced by the duo is common for the locals from Ward No. 5 and 6 of the Abukhaireni Rural Municipality as the area doesn’t receive quality signal enabling them to make or receive a call.
"People from our area are forced to walk uphill for an hour or so in order to make a single phone call. It receives no signal – whether Nepal Telecom’s or Ncell’s. Our area is one of the major tourist destinations but ironically we lack access to communication," said Sunaram Gurung, ward chairman.
According to Sunaram, not only do they face problem of communication but also of electricity. However, the local level government is doing the needful to change the situation.
"A process of installing NTC’s tower in Ward No. 5 has begun, and we are planning to install one in Ward No. 6 as well," said Girbahadur Thapa, chairman at Abukhaireni Rural Municipality.
The good news is that the areas are now connected with tower in Kabilas, in Chitwan district. The locals have urged the authorities to take necessary measures at the earliest to put proper communication network in place there.
"Walking for almost an hour to make a phone call is an unnecessary trouble, which nobody should face in 21st century. We hope the concerned authorities will take concrete measures at the earliest to solve the problem," said Laxman Prasad Simkhada, principal at Kanyadevi Secondary School in Hilekharka.