National 5 (Spotlight Weekly)

Meaningful Assistance

Indian assistance will go a long way in developing country's infrastructure

By A CORRESPONDENT

At a time when the Maoists are destroying whatever infrastructure of the poor country they come across, the southern neighbor has generously offered its support to modernize Nepal's telecom infrastructure.

The Indian government is to provide a grant assistance of Rs 1,344 million to Nepal for setting up an Optical Fibre Cable (OFC)-based Information Super Highway (ISH) along the East-West Highway of the country. Finance Secretary, Bimal Prasad Koirala, and Indian ambassador to Nepal, Dr. I. P. Singh, signed on a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to this effect amid a function last Friday.

The OFC, around 1,000 km in length, will become the backbone of the existing telecommunication system and shall run from Bhadrapur in the east to Nepalgunj in the west, covering 81 cities and towns along the way, officials said. The project provides for setting up of Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) equipment to connect the telecom network via 24-crore silicon optical fibres. In addition, 79 stations will be set up to connect the existing network.

According to the Indian embassy in Kathmandu, the armoured cable will be laid through the HDPE duct to provide the highest quality and reliability. The optic fibre is made of a thin thread like silicon, through which light can be transmitted to carry signals that provide unrestricted access to voice, data, video and information, irrespective of locality or surroundings. The state-of-the-art high-speed ISH will act as the backbone for supporting all communication services through multiple operators. The result will be a more effective, faster, reliable and economical telecom service.

"The project will bring a drastic change to the communication sector, creating an efficient and superb telecommunication highway with no traffic congestion and other conventional hindrances," said finance secretary Koirala.

An Indian public sector company, Telecommunications Consultants India Limited (TCIL), will execute the project, which would be completed in two years. "The project will be yet another milestone in the development of Nepal," said ambassador Singh. Added Raghubar Lal Shrestha, general manager of the Nepal Telecommunications Corporation (NTC), the project will greatly strengthen the capabilities of NTC as well as enhance IT-related activities by private sectors.

The first optical fibre link in established in 1998 between Birgunj and Raxaul with financial and technical assistance from the Indian government. This has doubled the number of telecommunication connections between the two countries and has resulted in significant improvement in communications.

India helped in the telecommunication sector first by providing radio telephone link between Kathmandu and New Delhi in 1950. Subsequently, India helped to set up facilities like radio telegraph, teleprinter and trunk lines. On behalf of Nepal, India maintained telecommunication accounts with other countries. India also contributed in the training of staff, drawing up of procedures for operational work both for telegraph and telephone trunk working, calculation of trunk call rates, standardization of forms. All such activities as performed by India were taken over by Nepalese government in August 1966. India has been continuously lending a helping hand in the upgrading and introduction of new communication facilities in Nepal.