MoCIT (Ministry of Communication and Information Technology) organized a discussion from Friday to discuss the status of development projects in the telecommunications sector. Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) and Nepal Telecom (NT) supported MoCIT for the event. Representatives (MPs and more) from different provinces gathered in the program where they gave suggestions and feedback regarding the service quality of Nepal Telecom.
The program included officials from Province 2: Bagmati, Lumbini, and Gandaki. A similar program conducted on Thursday had the participation of representatives of Province 1 at Everest Hotel in New Baneshwor. Now, the next discussion is scheduled on Tuesday with the rest of the Karnali and Far-Western province representatives.
Minister Gurung expressed the commitment of the government to provide access to telephone and internet services to all and to make them quality and accessible to all. For this, work has been started to consult, suggest and consult with the honorable parliamentarians of the concerned areas and all the people’s representatives at the local level.
Discussions during the program
The representatives informed that the projects under the Rural Telecommunication Development Fund (RDTF) came to halt and suggested that the focus should be on access and quality of internet and telephone services.
Moreover, they suggested finding a long-term solution by studying the telecommunication problems in rural areas. The lawmakers stressed the need to implement the government’s plan to provide internet service in every ward office, school, and health post.
According to Minister Gurung, the program aims to review the development projects and service quality of the NT. They have also planned to collect complaints, suggestions, and feedback from the representatives. He also added that the ministry is working in the preparation of policies, programs, and budgets of the Nepal Government.
Nepali Congress leader, Chitralekha Yadav, appealed to solve the problem of telecom towers in rural areas. In addition, the former Minister and Member of Parliament, Mr. Sher Bahadur Tamang, stressed developing the telecommunication field to make the framework of Digital Nepal successful.
Criticisms regarding Nepal Telecom service
In the discussion program, Nepal Telecom also received some criticism along with suggestions and feedback. The representatives from Province No. 2 and Bagmati Province conveyed some issues regarding the service quality of Nepal Telecom. They shared to have experienced not-so-good service quality even in the city of Kathmandu.
Dr. Amaresh Kumar Singh added that consumers are not provided information about the status and quality of service. Similarly, the participants also rant about poor wifi quality. Others spoke upon the need for intranet, utility corridor, internet service in district offices and highways, and so on.
Check out: MoCIT assures Improvement in Telecommunication services quality at an affordable price
At last, Minister Gurung concluded with a remark that they will work on resolving all of the issues raised. Then he said, “The development of infrastructure for communication and information technology, will no more be delayed and we will work on making Nepal competitive in the world”.
What are your thoughts on the interaction program and the outcome of such discussion with the representatives from the Provinces? Tell us in the comment section below.
