Kathmandu, June 12

The Ministry of Information and Communications (MoIC) has condemned the attack by unidentified groups on Ncell’s base transceiver stations (BTS) located in various parts of the country in a press statement issued today.

The ministry has stated that if there are any grievances regarding any issue, then the problems should be sorted out through the prevalent laws of the land and not by destroying physical infrastructure of any company. It has appealed to the concerned parties not to resort to such activities and warned that it would take strong action against such crimes.

In a separate statement issued by Ncell today, the company has strongly condemned the vandalism by some unidentified groups that have continued physical attacks on important elements of telecommunications infrastructure, depriving more people from the basic right to communications.

The unlawful and serious offence by the groups have resulted in damage of 24 BTS of Ncell since June 11, hindering communications for about 550,000 people in rural villages directly and affecting people across country, Ncell said.

“We urge all concerned to respect fellow citizens’ rights to communicate and stop attacks against Ncell BTS. Please note there might be some people needing critical health support and your action might have put them in a fatal situation,” said Mahendra Bhattachan, security director of Ncell.

Ncell is trying to restore the damaged sites at the earliest possible moment.

“We apologise to our valued customers affected due to this unexpected disturbance in services. Works are on to restore the network. We thank our valued customers for their patience and kind support,” added Bhattachan.

Ncell has stepped up security of telecommunications infrastructure. It has also officially requested the government for support to uphold essential services law, so that highly essential communications services are not disturbed.

“We have already reported the incidents in detail to the Nepal Telecommunications Authority and senior government authorities, and are thankful for their commitment to support us,” said Bhattachan.

Ncell has also appealed to all to act responsibly and stop provoking unruly actions. These types of unlawful activities do not support the country and the people, it added.

Ncell has stated that it continues to gather information on the extent of damage.