Illegal use of satellite phones rising
Govt’s failure to revise policy prime factor

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KATHMANDU, March 11 : The failure of the government to make timely revision in its decade-old ‘impractical and complicated procedures’ for the import and use of satellite phone has fuelled its illegal use, particularly, among the foreigners for adventurous visit to different districts.

According to tour operators, the use of satellite phones, these days, have been common for the adventure tourists and most of these satellite phones enter the kingdom simply bypassing the required legal procedures.

Concerned experts openly concede the wide-range of illegal use of such phones inside the country, but blame the government for its failure for making procedural changes in order to move along with the change in time.

"With the dwindling price and rapidly squeezing size of such phones in the international market, the existing government’s policy regarding the imports of such phones is irreverent and needs urgent and massive policy-wise changes," says Suman Pandey, president of Trekking Agents Association of Nepal.

He further informed that the present cost for a set of handy satellite phone in the international market is less than US$ 1000, while the existing government policy demands the deposit of US$ 3000 for using a satellite phone. Not just the policy, but the micro-sized satellite phone handsets, which the concerned officials find difficult to distinguish between cellular and satellite handsets, is another factor that has give rise to illegal use of the satellite phones.

While two private companies are seeking approval from the government to operate satellite phones in Nepal, the adventure tourism entrepreneurs are demanding to remove the existing provision and introduce fixed registration fee in order to facilitate the legal use of satellite phones in Nepal.

The deposit system was introduced when the equipment of satellite telephone set used to come in carriages. But no longer. Therefore, it has no significance at present. "If the government introduces a nominal registration fee for the use of satellite phones, then it will not only raise revenue, but also help in checking illegal use of the facility," Pandey adds.

According to an unofficial estimation, there are some 100 satellite phones in the Nepali market. The price of satellite phone is almost Rs 80,000 in Nepal. The cost of making calls through satellite phones is much lower than the charges of cellular mobile phone or the fixed phone.

Most of the satellite phones that are in use inside Nepal are the products of Ericson Company and are operated with the pre-paid seam card. The beauty of the satellite phone is that it has very god connectivity almost worldwide and is not vulnerable to terrorist attacks in the context of Nepal.

It costs Rs 120 per minute to make a call to the USA through the basic phone from Kathmandu while it cost just Rs 34 to make the same call through the satellite phone. And due to rising competition among the satellite phone operators, some of the satellite companies have waived incoming charge and the outgoing call charges are also going down.

Despite adopting the open sky policy in the early 90’s and opening the prospect of launching all types of possible communication systems in the kingdom, the government is yet to licence the companies willing to operate the cellular satellite phone.

Almost half a dozen of private companies are asking the government to allow them operate cellular satellite phones in the kingdom. One of the applicants, Asia Cellular Satellite Company has even stated that they will introduce the service within two weeks of acquiring license.

The company has even appointed Satellite Communication Private Limited as its local agent in Nepal. Talking to The Kathmandu Post, some time back, Anil Chandra Adhikari, Managing Director of the Company, had stated that their preparation is in the final stage and are awaiting the government’s approval for launching cellular satellite phone.

IOC interested in JV with NOC

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KATHMANDU, March 11 ; The Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has shown interest in entering into joint venture with Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) in the construction and management of the NOC’s distribution network throughout the country.

This has been stated in a proposal that the IOC forwarded to the NOC last week. The IOC has suggested the NOC to construct its own 100 modern petrol refilling stations throughout the country, said Rudra Bahadur Khadka, acting chief of the corporation.

"And the Indian state-owned supplier, owing to its expertise in the field, has shown readiness to invest in and manage the distribution network," he said. As of now, the state-owned monopoly in the petroleum imports relies on the private refilling stations for the distribution of petroleum products.

The IOC’s interest in the petroleum products distribution in the country has come at a time when the government is debating on whether to open petroleum imports to the private sector. According to the officials, the IOC’s interest in the matter is to retain its presence in the Nepali market.

"Such a proposal is aimed at maintaining its business interest in Nepal, especially in the wake of emergence of other private players in India," they said.

However, the IOC, in the proposal, has argued that the NOC’s own network is necessary to ensure its sustainability the business environment that would possibly change in the future.

Likewise, the IOC has reiterated its earlier proposal of constructing Amlekhgunj-Raxaul pipeline and cooking gas bottling-plant in Janakpur in the NOC-IOC joint investment. An understanding to this effect was reached in August 2001.

Although the NOC bought some 10 bigahs of land in Janakpur for the construction of LPG bottling plant, no progress has been made yet. Similar was the fate of the pipeline construction, which lingered without any outcome due to the absence of political commitment.

While the construction of proposed 35-km Amlekhgunj- Raxaul pipeline was estimated to cost Rs 700 million, the construction of the LPG bottling plant having a storage capacity to meet a monthly national demand was estimated to cost Rs 300 million.

As in the past, people knowledgeable to the matter cited that the construction of the pipeline would serve the national purpose and they urge the government to make political commitment to materialise it.

According to them, its construction would slash down petroleum transportation cost by 50 per cent. "This will also prevent the leakage and technical losses, thus help in curbing the corruption and malpractice," they said.

Furthermore, such an arrangement is said to regularise the supply of petro-products in the Nepali markets, which almost each year suffers from petroleum short supply, especially in the case of LPG. However, they maintained reservations on the NOC running the refilling stations.

Meanwhile, the NOC and the IOC have agreed to constitute two separate teams two undertake the feasibility study. "The decision on all these proposals would be taken on the basis of the report which the respective teams, to be constituted in the near future, would submit," said Khadka.

‘Domestic products should improve quality, measurement’

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KATHMANDU, March 11 ; Nepal should immediately improve its quality and measurement standard among others to make enduring presence of domestic products in highly competitive international market, said various experts at an interaction here today.

"The country needs to respond this need immediately as it is very close of accessing to the World Trade Organisation (WTO)," they stressed.

Speaking at the interaction jointly organised by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, Nepal Bureau of Standard and Metrology (NBSM) and Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) on "WTO-TBT Agreement and SQAM", the participants demanded with the government to introduce promotional package to boost exports.

Rajendra Kumar Khetan, Vice President of FNCCI highlighted the need to modernise our present quality and measurement standard in the context of global system.

"We must be capable of grabbing opportunities and avoiding threats that the WTO brings before we acquire WTO membership," he added.

Dr S R Joshi, Deputy Director General of NBSM and P R Shrestha, Director of NBSM presented separate working papers on the occasion.

Locals demand flight resumption in Baglung

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BAGLUNG, March 11 : Despite having immense potential to be one of the favourite destinations for both domestic and foreign tourists has been put to disadvantage due to lack of air-links though it has an airport.

Constructed 36 years ago, the airport is almost non-existent as the air link was cut off some ten years ago.

Besides losing a potential amount in revenue generated from tourists, this district has been facing problem in importing foodstuffs and other consumer goods.

Majority of traders here say that they are compelled to procure the consumer goods at a bit higher price as they are transported via land.

"We could buy apples from Mustang at far lower price had there been direct air link between Mustang and Baglung. When there was air-link, we used to import apples from Mustang," said Krishna Bahadur Khatri, immediate past chairman of Narayansthan Village Development Committee.

Earlier, Baglung had a direct air link with Mustang, Pokhara, Kathmandu, Bhairahawa, among others, before the Royal Nepal Airlines withdrew its flight from the hilly district.

The local people have been demanding with the government to resume flights to the district. And they have received positive response from senior government officials.

Narayan Singh Pun, Minister of Physical Planning and Works had assured the locals of immediately initiating process to resume flight after necessary reconstruction of the airstrip which has turned into a grazing land.

"We are very optimistic that the flight will resume," said Hem Sharma Poudel, former mayor of Balewa Municipality.

Leaders of the district are also demanding to resume flight to the district. The eighth council of District Development Committee had recently endorsed a proposal to revive the airport. The locals together with their leaders believe that the re-operation of airport would prove boon to improve the tourism industry of the district.

Railway plans fare hike

JANAKPUR, March 11 (PR) - Janakpur–Jayanagar Railway, Nepal’s only railway service, is planning to hike the transport fare in a bid to counter the increasing losses.

According to a source, a three-member committee of the railway management, which is co-ordinated by Ranendra Kumar Thakur, is doing necessary homework to fix the new transport fare. The hike in the train fare, however, will only come into effect after the proposal of the committee gets the final approval from the council of ministers.

The fare hike proposal follows the formation of a committee by the government under the chairmanship of Pratap Kumar Pathak to transform the railway service into a company.

The process for converting the railway service into a company, however, has been very slow as the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Physical Planning and Works are yet to appoint their respective technicians required to liquidate the service.