New Delhi:
Mobile phone services were first introduced in militancy-infested Jammu and Kashmir in 2003, but mobile telephony has a rather tumultuous journey in the Valley. Here's a look:
Mobile Phone services were allowed in Jammu and Kashmir in the year 2003, eight years after they were introduced in the rest of the country. However, the implementation of the procedure for obtaining new phone connections, specially prepaid was extremely lax and it led to its misuse by the militants.
Following that the government banned all new prepaid mobile connections as well as renewal of existing prepaid mobile connections with effect from November 1 2009.
After several rounds of discussion held among the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Tele-Communications, Government of Jammu and Kashmir and mobile telephone service providers, a new procedure has been laid down for re-verification of existing subscribers and issue of new telephone mobile connections both prepaid and postpaid connections.
The following procedure shall be followed for re-verification of existing prepaid and postpaid connections as well as for the issue of new prepaid and postpaid connections:
- Re verification/Verification shall be done by the service provider's own outlet or his franchisee only.
- The number and addresses of such franchisees shall be notified within one week to Law Enforcement Agencies (LEA), State Police and the Term Cell, J&K.
- Special camps for re-verification may also be organized by the service provider after notifying the venues and dates to LEA, State Police and the Term Cell, J & K.
- Re-verification shall mean obtaining another copy of one or more prescribed documents to verify the Identity and Address of the subscriber and comparing the information contained in the documents with the information already on the records of the Service Provider.
- In case of students, employees of Central/State Government, a fresh certificate certifying the identity and address of the person concerned issued by the head of the office/institution may be accepted as proof of identity and address.
- In case of serving officers/jawans of armed forces and parliamentary forces and members of their family, a fresh certificate certifying the identity and address of the person concerned issued by the commanding officer may be accepted as proof of identity n address.
- Four copies of photographs shall have to be submitted, which the Service Provider shall compare with the subscriber to satisfy itself about the genuineness of the photograph.
- Service Provider shall prepare new machine numbered Customer Acquisition Form (CAF), that shall retain data related to name, address and telephone number of the subscriber along with the allotted telephone number in respect to each subscriber cancellation of previous form which shall be retained for 2 years.
- Re-verification shall be a one-time exercise after which the subscriber shall be allowed facility of recharge.
- In case of negative report form the authority the telephone connection shall be disconnected within 2 hours of receipt of the report.
- In case of an application for the second or multiple connections, the Service Provider shall exercise utmost caution and take into account relevant factors including the reasons given for seeking multiple connections.
- All of these connections shall be reported separately at the end of every month to LEA, State Police and the Term Cell, J & K for information in soft copy. This shall include name of the subscriber, telephone number, address, details of proof of identity and add along with CAF numb.
- If the subscriber provides false information and obtains a mobile telephone connection then it shall be liable to be cancelled without prejudice to any other action that may be taken under law.