सिंहदरबार संवाददाता
Kathmandu. “I’ll make the chair a little smaller and then we’ll talk,” Sangita Pahadi Aryal, the newly appointed Managing Director of Nepal Telecom Company Limited (Nepal Telecom), began to recall her school life after turning the nut of the chair and lowering it a little. Aryal, who courageously climbed a 50-meter-high transmitter in her early career at Nepal Telecom and provided telephone service, said that she is a little sensitive to the high chair with its responsibility. It is clear in her mind that she should serve the people from the high chair. Therefore, she says, “I never looked at my position, but at my karma. Karma led me to this point.”
Born in Putalisadak, Kathmandu, Aryal passed the entrance examination from Padma Kanya Vidyashram School in Dillibazaar. Being the youngest of two brothers and two sisters, the moment when everyone raised her was a golden time for her. Her father was a lawyer and her mother was a housewife. But, how did she come to think of becoming an engineer in the Nepali society of about four decades ago? She wants to give all the credit for this to her two engineer brothers. They were already engineers by then. While studying in school, she developed a desire to pursue a career like her brothers in the future. She says that she has been able to reach the leadership level today because the family fully fulfilled her daughter’s dream of applying fertilizer.
After passing the entrance exam, she did her intermediate in the Physics subject of the Faculty of Science at Trichandra College. According to her, there were only three girls studying Physics at that time. There was a society that frowned on what others said and insisted on doing their jobs. Aryal graduated from Allahabad University in India. At that time, she was the only woman among the Nepali students studying engineering.
“At that time, it was difficult for girls to go to school, it was not easy to go to India,” she says, “I was lucky, I was able to study freely.” Immediately after returning from India, she entered the service of the then Nepal Telecommunication Corporation on Chaitra 23, 2049, with a temporary appointment as an engineer.
She took a permanent appointment in the company’s service on Falgun 10, 2051. Looking down from the peak of the position of Managing Director of Nepal Telecom, Aryal has a flashback to the time when she was first posted to the camp. Recalling her working life 32 years ago, she says, “Women employees were not allowed to go to the camp because they had to climb the transmitter, I chose that posting myself.”
At that time, Nepal Telecom had a Transmission Department, a Computer Department, and a Switching Department. According to Aryal, when she worked in the ‘Transmission Department’ in the camp, she had to climb the transmitter. At that time, she had to travel from Kakani, Dhulikhel, Nagarkot, and even Dolalghat to work on the transmitter. Aryal was the only female employee to climb the 50-meter-high tower in Patan. That is why even now, acquaintances remember her as the ‘tower climber’. Not only did she show the bravery of an employee by climbing the transmitter, Aryal also demonstrated her intellectual ability as a mobile exporter. What can a woman do? She has been answering the questions that have arisen in the minds of many through her actions. She feels that no expertise can be measured by gender. I have been proving this through my actions since the beginning.”
Mobile service operations began in 2056 BS. Aryal, who was a member of the planning group to introduce mobile service since a year ago, joined the think tank group and worked. She also spent a lot of time as a planner to introduce related technology. The mobile service, which initially started with 50,000 lines, has now expanded to more than 30 million lines. There were also few engineers working on mobile at that time. Now the manpower has also increased.
She had gained experience in the private telecom world and practiced in Nepal. She says that making Nepal Telecom competitive on par with them was the hard work of the employees. In which Aryal also likes to say that she is a warrior of that struggle. Until 2070, Nepal Telecom worked on a hardcopy system. It was a cumbersome process to bring a map of the entire district and work. Then, Aryal remembers that the work started by putting the map of the entire Nepal in software. Aryal says that all the progress that Nepal Telecom has made has been achieved by all these employees gathering experience and demonstrating their own capabilities. “Despite being a government company, Nepal Telecom has become capable of competing with companies from other countries,” she says, “We came here through hard work based on experience without taking any external training. Which is a matter of pride.” She said that Nepal Telecom’s services have now expanded rapidly.
Currently, we have been able to provide optical fiber to all seven provinces from the transmitter, and now the telecom is working on providing fiber to villages. Services are also being operated across the country using microwave technology. She informed that she has been providing services through solar power in remote areas where there is no electricity facility. There are six chief officers under the central office of the telecom for various subjects and sectors. Aryal also worked as the Chief Commercial Officer for two years. While in that position, she took on the main responsibility of expanding Nepal Telecom’s business. After that, she played the role of media management along with the Chief Commercial Officer for some time. Her leadership had taken steps to expand the package service to the customers.
Aryal also became good at media coordination. As a result, NTC gave her the responsibility of working as the Chief Technical Officer. In this process, the post of Managing Director immediately fell vacant. While handling every responsibility that came her way, Aryal was appointed as the Deputy Managing Director on 18 Magh 2078. She had to handle the situation again when the post of Managing Director was vacant. As per the decision of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology dated 17 Asoj 2080 (Ministerial level), she has been assuming the responsibility of the Acting Managing Director of the company since that date.
Aryal, who has been serving the telecom as the Acting Managing Director for eleven months, assumed the post of Managing Director on 22 Bhadra. Aryal, who can mount the transmitter if the organization needs it, has now become a strong shoulder to handle all responsibilities. Her experience has shown that challenges become easier for those who work. Remittances in telecommunications are decreasing at the international level. Apps like Internet, Viber, and WhatsApp have reduced phone calls. She says that the main service of Nepal Telecom is to make it accessible to the people. She said that NTC is making every effort to fulfill the government’s objective of making Nepal a digital country. NTC has emphasized on providing services through ‘Fiber to the Home!’ That is, optical fiber. According to Aryal, 90 percent of the copper system has been expanded and now services are being provided through optical fiber across the country. She says, “We want to bring internet services to villages. For which we are constantly trying.”
Aryal is experienced in efficiently fulfilling the responsibilities given by the situation. While taking care of the responsibilities of the office and family, she also continued her studies. During this time, she did her MA from the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand. Having made herself a transmitter and mobile exporter through struggle, she has been answering those who ask, “What can a woman do?” not with words, but with actions. She feels that no expertise can be measured by gender. I have been proving this through actions from the beginning.” RSS
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