The Hindu : Front Page : In J&K, pre-paid mobile connections banned

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Saturday, Oct 31, 2009
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In J&K, pre-paid mobile connections banned

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The Union government has banned pre-paid mobile connections in Jammu and Kashmir, citing security related reasons.

Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Friday said besides the ban, the existing pre-paid SIM cards would not be renewed after November 1. The Home Ministry had asked the Department of Telecommunications to take appropriate action in this regard.

“Pre-paid connections are prone to misuse. Anyone wanting a mobile connection can always go in for a post-paid connection in Jammu and Kashmir. I think the problem is not so acute in the north-eastern States; we may also have to look at the situation in there,” Mr. Chidambaram said at his monthly stock-taking press conference. He said all service providers have been informed and they had promised to implement the decision.

The decision follows reports that proper verification was not being done while providing such connections by the service providers and vendors. Fake documents and identity numbers were reportedly being used by the vendors particularly, in the case of pre-paid connections. This had given rise to security concerns, officials said.

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