Kathmandu, December 13

Against reports that the government is preparing to replace the leadership at Nepal Telecom (NT), the Ministry of Information and Communications (MoIC) has clarified that it is not in the mood to replace the managing director at NT anytime soon.

Some media firms recently reported that the MoIC had tabled a proposal at the Cabinet meeting on Monday to replace NT’s Managing Director Kamini Rajbhandari. It was said that Minister for Information and Communications Mohan Bahadur Basnet had put forward a proposal to replace NT’s leadership at Monday’s Cabinet meeting.

However, MoIC officials informed The Himalayan Times that proposals as such have not been taken to the Cabinet meeting so far.

“MoIC has not taken any proposal to the Cabinet to replace the MD at Nepal Telecom till date,” informed Ram Chandra Dhakal, spokesperson for MoIC.

Responding on the same issue, Chief Secretary Lok Darsan Regmi said that he was unaware about such proposals.

However, media reports on the government’s plan to replace Rajbhandari of NT have created havoc within the management of NT. Moreover, different trade unions in NT issued a notice late Tuesday warning the government not to replace Rajbhandari as she was appointed as per the Directive on Appointing Managing Director at Nepal Doorsanchar Company Ltd (NDCL) and Other Services and Facilities.

“As appointment of NT’s managing director is based on government laws, it is unjust to attempt to replace her,” said Telecom Employees Association of Nepal and National Employees’ Organisation of Nepal-Nepal Telecom in a joint statement.

Citing that interference from MoIC at NT to this effect will make NT uncompetitive in the telecommunications sector of the country, these trade unions even threatened that they will not allow any new leadership to enter NT’s offices and will stage protest programmes.

Seeking anonymity, a senior official at NT said government’s interference in NT will have a negative impact on different telecommunication-related plans, strategies and projects initiated by NT. Rajbhandari was appointed to the top post of NT on September 22, 2016, for a period of three years.