Lalitpur. Most of the villages in Mahankal rural municipality of Dakshina Lalitpur, which is near the capital, are still deprived of reliable communication facilities. Due to poor accessibility of communication services, local residents have been facing various problems from daily life to emergency situations.
According to Ganesh Bahadur KC, Chairman of Mahankal Rural Municipality, despite the fact that the rural municipality has repeatedly taken initiatives with related agencies and Nepal Telecommunication Authority for the expansion of communication services, the expected hearing has not happened. He said that Nepal Telecom’s network was not operating effectively in most areas of the rural municipality.
Six wards have been established in Mahankal Rural Municipality including Bukhel, Manikhel, Gotikhel, Kaleshwar, Chandanpur and Thuladurlung gauis. Locals complain that the mobile network is weak in most of the settlements in these wards. In some places, it is not possible to make phone calls or use the Internet while staying indoors, and the compulsion to go to the hills in search of a network is still there.
President KC said that the local residents have been constantly complaining about the communication problem and said that although efforts have been made to solve the problem for years, the relevant agencies have not received enough attention. According to him, in some villages, even at night, people have to go out of the house and search for the network.
Dolmamaya Gole, the vice president of the rural municipality, informed that there is a communication service problem in the office complex located in Gotikhel, the center of the rural municipality. He said that even though several requests have been made to various agencies for fiber net connection and expansion of quality communication services in all wards, no solution has been found so far.
According to Vice President Gole, the lack of communication services has had a serious impact, especially on disaster management and health services. As the risk of flooding increases during the rainy season, the local residents are more at risk due to the failure to exchange information on time. He said that when the patient’s condition is serious, it is difficult to immediately contact the ambulance or related agencies.
Due to the weak communication service, the administrative work of the village has also been affected. According to the local people’s representative, it is difficult to send the necessary documents and recommendations to the relevant agencies in case of power outage. While digital technology-based government services are expanding, the lack of basic communication infrastructure has added to the challenge in service delivery.
The main economic basis of Mahankal Rural Municipality, which is rich in natural resources, religious and social importance, is agriculture. Foreign employment is another major source of local income. Local residents say that although the attraction towards modern lifestyle has increased in recent years, the poor condition of communication infrastructure has affected the development potential.
The local people’s representatives have demanded that the relevant agencies should take immediate action to connect the necessary towers, fiber networks and other technologies by prioritizing the expansion of communication infrastructure in the rural areas of South Lalitpur.