Hetauda, April 8:

The Nepal Telecom (NT) will distribute SIM cards for pre-paid mobile phones in Hetauda from tomorrow.

Though Hetauda residents are agog about the new service, applicants for new SIM cards are short of mobile phone sets.

Some have resorted to asking their kith and kin for old mobile sets.

However, there is no outlet or service centre for repairing old mobile sets in Hetauda, which has made it very difficult for people to use old sets.

And people are not getting the opportunity to buy new sets due to the general strike called by the seven parties. The distribution of new SIM cards by the Nepal Telecom is likely to be affected by the general strike.

Prayas Sapkota, an applicant for a new SIM card, said he has been unable to buy a mobile phone set of his choice due to the closure of the local market.

A mobile phone owner, Girija Adhikary, who bought a Mero Mobile SIM card a few days ago, said he had been toting his SIM card sans a mobile set due to the general strike.

Consumers said they hoped to buy cheap mobile phone sets from markets in Birgunj, Raxaul and Gaur. A few days ago, the Hetauda branch of NT made public its decision to distribute 5,000 pre-paid mobile SIM cards. The NT said it would distribute 1000 SIM cards tomorrow. Around 5,500 people have applied for SIM cards.