Government Directs Management of Tangled Wires in Kathmandu Valley by Mid-July

Kathmandu. The government has directed the concerned bodies to manage the tangled and unused internet, telephone, and television wires hanging on the poles of the roads in Kathmandu Valley by the second week of July.

A meeting held on Wednesday in the joint presence of Minister of Communications Dr. Vikram Timilsina and Minister of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Biraj Bhakta Shrestha, directed the Nepal Telecommunications Authority, Nepal Electricity Authority, Nepal Telecom, Ncell, and ISPAn to prepare an integrated action plan with a deadline and manage the wires in six routes of the valley in the first phase.

In the first phase, wires in the Tripureshwor-Kalimati-Kalki, Jadibuti-Pepsicola, Tripureshwor-Lazimpat, Samakhushi-Town Planning-Gongabu, Kirtipur, and Old Baneshwor-Gaushala-Chabahil areas will be removed.

The meeting also decided that the Nepal Telecommunications Authority will take regulatory leadership, the Electricity Authority will provide necessary facilitation, and all service providers will compulsorily place tags on their wires indicating their identity.

Communications Minister Timilsina directed to work in a way that shows immediate results, stating that the disorganized wires are the result of the shared weakness of all bodies. Energy Minister Shrestha said that effective coordination among all bodies is necessary for a long-term solution.

Service providers stated in the meeting that management has been delayed due to the rainy season, difficulty in identifying ownership of wires on poles, and inability to work in the road area during the day. Nepal Telecom and Ncell have committed to accelerating wire management and tagging work.