Nepal Telecom's mobile phone service has come to a halt in southern and northern part of the district for the past one month as the tower of Namaste and Sky phone has broken down, the locals said.

The malfunctioning of a battery installed in a repeater at Chisapani in Jantedhunga rural municipality has caused disruption in the service, said an NTC official.

The areas that have faced a halt in phone service include Kahule, Chipring, Likuwapokhari, Indranipokhari, Baplukha, Simpani, Lichkiramche, Khotang Bazaar, Sawakatahare, Badakadiyale, Dambukhurshivalaya, Chisapani, Bopung, Diplung, Mauwabote, Devisthan, Pauwashera, Phaktang, Barahapokhari and Suntale and some parts of neighbouring districts like Udayapur and Bhojpur.

As a result, the locals are facing problems in various ways. Likewise, the disruption in phone service has affected the preparations for the upcoming House of Representatives and State Assemblies elections.

When asked, Chief District Officer Ekdev Adhikari said their repeated calls to the NTC officials have been unheard. It has been reported that NTC district branch Chief Jyoti Chaudhary is on leave for long, adding to the problem. RSS