Half a dozen settlements here do not have telephone service. The settlements in between, such as Kagni, Sangta, Chhepka, Rochi, Sumduwa, and Sayal Lagaya, have been without communication for years.
What you should know
The lack of telephone service from Suligard to Saizal on the 'Phoksundo Trail' has caused problems for locals as well as tourists visiting the area.
There is still no telephone service from any telecommunication company from Suligard to Sayal, which is within Thuliveri Municipality and She-Phoksundo Rural Municipality.
Due to the lack of internet service and even normal phone service, domestic and foreign tourists who come to see Phoksundo Lake, a major tourist destination not only in the district but also in Karnali Province, are facing problems.
The route from Suligard to Phoksundo, where the She-Phoksundo National Park office is located, is known as the 'Phoksundo Trail'. There is no telephone or internet facility in between.
The number of tourists visiting the lake is increasing every year. However, tourists complain that there is no option to solve the problems they face on the way due to the lack of internet and telephone facilities.
'Since the time we started from Suligard towards Phoksundo, the tourists must have been without phone contact for about ten hours,' said Binod Budha, a domestic tourist who came to Phoksundo from Surkhet.
‘In the meantime, you can neither talk to your family nor make urgent calls. If any untoward incident happens in the meantime, there is no possibility of rescue,’ he added.
He said that the trekking route to Phoksundo should be improved, the road should be widened in difficult places and comfortable hotels should be arranged for tourists.
He said that there is an influx of tourists because the trend of visiting Phoksundo is now going on.
Half a dozen settlements without communication
The locals of the settlements in the middle have also been affected by the lack of phone facilities on the ‘Phoksundo Trail’.
Half a dozen settlements here do not have phones. The settlements in the middle of this, such as Kagani, Sangta, Chhepka, Rochi, Sumduwa, and Sayal Lagaya, have been without communication for years.
Nima Gyalzen Lama, a local hotelier from Chhepka, said that it is unfortunate that there is no phone facility in the main tourist area of the district while high-speed internet facilities are being enjoyed elsewhere.
‘High-level internet facilities have reached most of the districts of Nepal. However, in settlements such as Chhepka, which is located on the ‘Phoksundo Trail’, there is still no phone service, and if someone falls ill or an incident occurs, it is not possible to rescue them in time,’ said Lama. He has asked the government why the tower built at the lake in Parila village has not yet been put into operation.
Nurendra Aryal, the chief conservation officer of the park, said that the lack of phone facilities is causing problems in the regular functioning of the park. ‘The phone service is not available in the park office, we have written to Nepal Telecom several times to extend the phone facility, but there has been no response,’ said Warden Aryal.
