Pre-paid mobile services ban regressive

Terming the possibility of blanket ban on prepaid mobile services in Jammu and Kashmir as regressive, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday blamed the service providers for dragging their feet on verification. "It's the mobile service providers who are dragging their heels regarding verification and
the creating a problem for everyone else," Omar said on the micro-blogging site twitter.

Omar said imposing a blanket ban would be a regressive and counter-productive measure and ways have to be found to avoid it.

"I agree, a blanket ban is regressive and counter-productive. How to avoid it is to be worked out," he said.

Department of Telecommunication in a notification to mobile operations extended the permission for prepaid mobile connections in Jammu and Kashmir till March 31, 2011, giving rise to apprehensions that the service might be banned.

The notification was issued after discrepancies and shortcomings came to surface with regard to the verification of subscriber credentials in many cases.

Prepaid connections in the state were banned in 2009 as many SIM cards were recovered from the possession of militants and their sympathisers. However, the ban was lifted in January 2010 but strict guidelines for re-verification were notified to the telecom companies.