Srinagar:
In what could be bad news for nearly 38 lakh pre-paid mobile phone subscribers in Jammu and Kashmir, the Centre has said it may ban this service due to security reasons.
The announcement came from Union Home Minister P Chidambaram while replying to a query during the All India Editors Conference.
The move comes after several incidents were reported by security forces in which militants had used pre-paid mobiles purchased under fictitious names for communicating with one another.
He said the government has been making efforts to persuade pre-paid subscribers to switch to post-paid connections due to security issues.
"We may have to ban the pre-paid mobile services in Kashmir valley for a while if our efforts (at persuasion) do not succeed," he added.
Airtel has nearly 19 lakh subscribers, followed by BSNL having 12 lakh, and Aircel having seven lakh.
The announcement came from Union Home Minister P Chidambaram while replying to a query during the All India Editors Conference.
The move comes after several incidents were reported by security forces in which militants had used pre-paid mobiles purchased under fictitious names for communicating with one another.
He said the government has been making efforts to persuade pre-paid subscribers to switch to post-paid connections due to security issues.
"We may have to ban the pre-paid mobile services in Kashmir valley for a while if our efforts (at persuasion) do not succeed," he added.
Airtel has nearly 19 lakh subscribers, followed by BSNL having 12 lakh, and Aircel having seven lakh.
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
