J&K has only 73,778 non-verified subscribers BUT 38 lakh on hold.....WHY

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LACKING SUBSCRIBERS VERIFICATION

DoT slapped Rs 7.38 Cr penalty on telecom operators in J&K

By Ajmer Alam Wani

JAMMU, NOV 26: Bearing with the faults of telecom operators, about 38 lakh subscribers and many thousands connected with the business are suffering badly due to the ban on pre-paid mobile services in J&K. If sources are to be believed, Department of Telecom (DoT) has identified 73,778 non verified subscribers in Jammu and Kashmir State, but the Home Ministry forced about 38 lakh mobile subscribers to suffer by banning the pre-paid mobile services in J&K that too for the faults committed by the telecom operators.

However, the Department of Telecom (DoT) has taken strong note of the issue and slapped about Rs 7.38 Crore penalty on telecom operators for non-verification of 73,778 subscribers in Jammu and Kashmir circle. As per the licence norms, Rs 1,000 is the penalty for every unverified connection on the provider.

The leading telecom operators including Bharti Airtel, BSNL, Vodafone and the Tatas are understood to have been slapped penalty for non-verification of subscribers in the J&K circle. According to sources, the Department of Telecom has slapped a penalty of Rs 5.33 crore (Rs 53.3 million) on Airtel for J&K State-owned BSNL also faces a penalty of Rs 1.48 crore (Rs 14.8 million) in J&K. The government has taken this extreme step as tthe state has been severely hit by insurgency and non-verification of subscribers could lead to escalation of illegal activities. The DoT has been issuing notifications from time to time to mobile operators to ensure 100 per cent verification. Vodafone-Essar has also been penalised with Rs 24.90 lakh (Rs 2.49 million) in J&K. Dishnet (Aircell) was also found lacking subscriber verification and has been asked to pay a penalty of Rs 22 lakh for J&K. The Tatas face a penalty of Rs 9.05 lakh (Rs 905,000) for J&K for defaulting on the norms. The Anil Ambani-led RCom has been slapped a minimum penalty of just Rs 83,000 in J&K.