RAJEEV SHARMA

Jammu, Sept 5: Telecom service providers are reluctant to issue fresh pre-paid mobile connections to customers in Jammu and Kashmir following the Home Ministry’s “stringent” formalities and “threats” to close their operations in case of non-compliance of guidelines.

 Cellular operators, however, have argued against any such assertion saying they are issuing pre-paid connections after proper verifications, but the dealers said they cannot issue new pre-paid SIM cards as companies have directed them to do so.

 Sources said the pre-paid customers in the State are facing problems in getting new connections as telecom companies have virtually stopped issuing the same in view of Home Ministry’s strict guidelines and threats to close their operations in case of any violations.

 Sources said lakhs of pre-paid subscribers of different telecom operators, who were making an overwhelming majority of the complete subscriber base in the state till July 2010, did not turn up for re-verification as per the revised guidelines of the Department of Telecommunication (DoT) after lifting of ban from pre-paid mobile services in Jammu and Kashmir on January 20, 2010.

 The Home Ministry had imposed a ban on use of pre-paid mobile telephony on November 1, 2009 after reports that militants were easily managing pre-paid connections on fake documents and making use of these SIM cards for carrying out anti-national activities.

  “We have been asked not to renew or issue fresh pre-paid connections. We had re-activated the connections those customers who had come to us for re-verification after lifting on ban from pre-paid services in the State. The remaining connections had not been re-activated and these would be blocked completely by October 31. The company is planning to issue fresh pre-paid connections thereafter,” said a dealer in old city seeking anonymity.

 Official sources said the state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) had de-activated 4.11 lakh pre-paid connections last month as the subscribers didn’t turn up for re-verification process as per the revised guidelines following strict guidelines.

 Only 1.25 lakh pre-paid subscribers of BSNL had re-activated their connections.

 Similarly, the Bharti Airtel had disconnected nearly one and half lakh pre-paid SIMs in Jammu and Kashmir in July 2010 following pre-paid subscribes did not turn up for re-verification process, sources informed.

Lastupdate on : Sun, 5 Sep 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 5 Sep 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Mon, 6 Sep 2010 00:00:00 IST