Panchakali Pariyar, from Tatopani, said she’s been frequenting the office for the past four days to complete a land transaction. Her work is pending owing to complications related to the internet, she said. Officials said it is due to “slow system”.

Manna Pariyar, another customer, said the system was better earlier. “At least, the system was dependable when it was written longhand,” she said. Pariyar said she suspects negligence by the officials.

Min Bahadur Rawal, an officer at land revenue, admitted the system hasn’t been running as expected of late. “It’s because of complications related to the internet and electricity,” he said, adding that his office has asked the government to upgrade the connection, but have heard nothing so far.

Rawal said that the office’s software is connected to a Kathmandu-based central server. “We are currently archiving old files online,” Rawal said. “We also lack human resources, and the internet gets interrupted frequently.”

Meanwhile, locals in Mugu are ecstatic to be finally connected to the internet. Till about a year ago, the locals of Nera Gaun in Soru Rural Municipality Ward No 5 in Mugu had to climb up a hilltop for a phone call, to catch a better range. Things changed when the ward office subscribed to internet service and made it accessible to the villagers across the ward.

Today, Haribhakta Budha, a Nera Gaun local, video calls his friends from his house. So does his neighbour Chin Bahadur Malla, and hundreds of locals from Libru, Rawaldanda, Taaja and Bhadgaun. “The internet service has been a boon for us,” said Malla, satisfied the days of hassles to find a range are long behind him.

Anchan Budha, chief of Ward No. 5, said the internet connection has made running of the office easy. “The operations these days are swift,” he said. “The locals are happy to get connected with their relatives settled outside.”

Budha said his office is now gearing up to provide the connection to public schools in the ward as well.

Lok Bahadur Shahi, chair of the rural municipality, said that the service has been extended to all of its 11 wards. “Soon there will be internet in schools and health posts,” he said. “All of the rural municipality’s work will be operated digitally.”

There’s internet service in four wards of the Chhaya Nath Rara Municipality as well. Both the state-owned Nepal Telecom and private internet service provider Worldlink are extending the service to villages around Gamgadhi, Mugu’s district headquarters.

Raj Bahadur Shahi contributed reporting from Mugu.