Minister Kharel Protecting Classic Tech, Preparing to Give Concession No Other ISP Has Received
पुस ३०, २०८२ १४:२९
Kathmandu: Minister for Communications and Information Technology Jagadish Kharel is reportedly preparing to provide special concessions to Classic Tech, an internet service provider that has not paid over Rs 500 million in dues to the government. No other ISP has received such a facility before. Minister Kharel is said to be planning to take a proposal to the Council of Ministers allowing Classic Tech to pay the amount in installments.
A senior official at the Nepal Telecommunication Authority (NTA) said attempts were made to exempt Classic Tech with the involvement of NEA Chairman Bhupendra Bhandari and Minister Kharel. Although the NTA had issued a 35-day notice to revoke licenses of companies that had not paid dues, Classic Tech was removed from the list under ministerial pressure.
The NTA had intended to include Classic Tech, which owes more than Rs 500 million, in the notice. Otherwise, the process to revoke its license would have begun, and arrears would have been collected as government revenue. Minister Kharel intervened, and instead of revocation, Classic Tech is being considered for installment facilities. Ministry sources say Classic Tech also submitted a letter to the Prime Minister requesting installment payments. The letter is reportedly being processed to be presented to the Council of Ministers. Chief Secretary Suman Raj Aryal confirmed that no such letter has officially reached the Prime Minister’s Office so far.
The NTA had issued the 35-day notice on 21 Mangsir 2082. It stated that the audit report, royalty payments, and contributions to the Rural Telecommunication Development Fund (RTDF) had not been paid for several years. While the notice listed 20 ISPs, Classic Tech, which has not paid royalties since 2076/77 and RTDF fees since 2077/78, was excluded. The regulator also granted Classic Tech an exemption of Rs 772.8 million for payments due up to 2079/80, contrary to standard rules.
The notice instructed companies that had not paid dues to submit payments along with required documents within 35 days. It warned that failure to comply would trigger action under Section 28 of the Telecommunications Act, 2053 BS, which includes license cancellation.
The 35-day period expired on 26 December. During this time, some ISPs submitted dues and documents to avoid license cancellation, NTA spokesperson Min Prasad Aryal said. He added that license cancellation proceedings would continue for other defaulters.
However, with the intervention of Minister Kharel and NEA Chairman Bhandari, Classic Tech is being offered installment facilities and exemption from enforcement.
Classic Tech’s operator, Pramesh Kharel, has a permanent address in Kharelthok, Kavre, which is also Minister Kharel’s ancestral home. The two reportedly visited Kharelthok together for Kulpuja a few weeks ago. Experts suggest the operator and the minister may have family ties.
In a conversation with TechPana, Minister Kharel argued that Classic Tech could be facilitated, citing the precedent of installment facilities in the Electricity Authority’s trunkline dispute. Classic Tech has also failed to pay state dues of crores of rupees. Its network service provider license to import internet bandwidth expired on 16 Chaitra 2080. The license to provide internet services to customers has also expired for around five months. Despite this, the company is currently operating without a valid license.
After failing to renew its bandwidth import license due to unpaid dues, Classic Tech had been purchasing bandwidth from Ncell. Ncell terminated the agreement after Classic Tech failed to pay a bill exceeding Rs 300 million.
Classic Tech later attempted to transfer its network and customers to a company called Nnet, but the plan failed after TechPana published an investigative report. Sources in the ministry and NTA claim that Classic Tech’s operator is now trying to avoid payment with Minister Kharel’s assistance.
An NTA official said, “Without ministerial intervention, Classic Tech would have been included in the 35-day notice. It would have had to pay all dues or face license revocation. Now, with the minister’s involvement, it seems unlikely that Classic Tech will pay the over Rs 500 million. This is not a liability like a license or frequency, but revenue the company collected from customers.”
पछिल्लो अध्यावधिक: पुस ३०, २०८२ १४:२९
