BSNL Conversion Plan Begins in J&K
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), JK circle, has started conversion of its pre-paid cell phone connections into post-paid. The Home Ministry of India has imposed a rule that no pre-paid mobile connections should be issued and ordered that the existing pre-paid SIM cards should not be renewed in Jammu & Kashmir from November 01, 2009. This initiation had been taken up to tighten the states security.
The exercise has been started a couple of days back by BSNL in the state by circulating five to six lakh forms among the distributors of BSNL. It is stated that the company has more than seven lakh pre-paid mobile connections and around 1.50 lakh post-paid connections in J&K.
The subscriber, having any pre-paid BSNL connection, can apply for conversion into post-paid connection by filling up the application form along with the documents of proof of their identity and residence. The step comes in the stir of the reports that proper verification is not being done while providing such pre-paid mobile connections by the service providers/vendors.
In some cases, a single person had been issued with multiple numbers of connections by producing fake documents and it is suspected that some vendors are behind this mission.
For non-STD post-paid connections, the subscribers have to deposit Rs 500 as security fee and for STD with roaming facility they have to pay Rs 1000. They can pay their security amount either in cash or through cheques/drafts.
On average they have been getting g 300 to 400 applications daily since the exercise began.