Birgunj, June 17: Minister for Information and Communications Jayaprakash Prasad Gupta initiated the operation of telephone service from the telephone exchange based on modern technology and installed with the assistance of Belgian Government in Birgunj, Gaur, Kalaiya and Simara today.

At the inaugural function, Minister Gupta said the government is considering providing at least two telephone lines to every village in the near future.

Efforts are also afoot to provide 50,000 additional lines from Mechi to the Mahakali by increasing the capacity of mobile telephones, he added.

Since the country is experiencing political stability today, the Nepali Congress government wants to avail of this opportunity to expedite the country’s economic development, he said, adding however, whenever the NC government starts working for the good of the country and the people, it faces obstructions from one or the other sector.

Parties represented in Parliament have now reached an understanding on the need of stability and development, he said, adding the Nepali Congress government is open to any suggestions and cooperation for maintaining stability and expediting the country’s development.

Stating that at a time when the country’s development process has just picked up momentum terror and violence have started raising their ugly heads in some parts of the country, Minister Gupta said any support from political, industrial and other sectors to those perpetrating terror and violence would hamper the country’s development.

Any support to such undesired elements would boomerang on the supporters themselves tomorrow, he said, asking one and all not to do anything that encourages terrorist activity.

MPs Urmila Aryal and Ajaya Kumar Chaurasiya appreciated the Belgian government’s assistance in making available most modern telephone service in an industrial and commercial centre like Birgunj.

Belgian ambassador Guy Trouveroy highlighted the Belgian government’s cooperation in telecommunications development in Nepal.

Secretary at the Information and Communication Ministry Sriram Poudel, Nepal Telecommunications Corporation general manager Chet Prasad Bhattarai, mayor of Birgunj Bimal Srivastav and others also spoke at the function.