Khaptadchanna rural municipality without communication after tower vandalism

Bajhang: Khaptadchanna Rural Municipality in Bajhang has been without communication for over a week following the vandalism of Nepal Telecom towers.

The disruption began on Ashoj 23 when an unidentified group damaged the telecom tower in Khaptadchanna-4, Majhigaon. Pradeep Khadka, a local resident, expressed his frustration, stating that villagers were unable to share the joy of the Dasain festival with relatives due to the lack of network. A local fair held on Dasain in Gorkhali village was also affected by the communication outage.

In addition to the tower in Majhigaon, the tower in Khaptadchanna-7, Madukatne, was also vandalized, leaving over 20,000 residents without communication, according to Nepal Telecom Bajhang Chief Bam Bahadur Singh. The radio link between the two towers was severed, and repair efforts are ongoing. However, due to a shortage of skilled technicians and the need for new equipment, restoration is expected to take some time.

Vandalism and theft of telecom towers have been reported in various parts of the district, with local police actively searching for those responsible for this latest incident, confirmed District Police Office Bajhang Chief Yuvraj Bhandari.