The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has already laid underground cables in the Tripureshwar-Kalanki and Kalimati-Balkhu areas and has now asked for the help of internet service providers and Kathmandu Metropolitan City to take down internet wires from electric poles. Though wires and poles have been cleared from the New Road-Indrachowk area with the successful replacement of the overhead lines by the underground infrastructure laid by NEA, the agency is struggling to do the same in other areas as internet providers are refusing to pay to use the upgraded underground optical fiber network.
The NEA officials have conducted several meetings with service providers and the Kathmandu Metropolitan City. The NEA is also working on similar projects in Maharajgunj, Ratna Park, Baneshwar, and Kuleshwar areas and aims to complete the work during the dry weather before the start of the monsoon. Moreover, projects in Bhaktapur and Lalitpur will be extended to 2026, as these need approvals from several agencies for road and footpath digging.