J&K: SMS ban on pre-paid SIM cards lifted

 The Short Message Service (SMS) to all the pre-paid mobile subscribers had been suspended vide Government Order No. Home -1479 of 2010 in December that year.

According to source, after assessing the situation in the valley and further in the back drop of emerging new technologies, the government has decided to lift the ban of SMS on pre-paid services.

All cellular companies have received government order in this regard in which they have been permitted to start pre-paid SMS services again.

On June 30, 2010, the government snapped SMS facility of cellphone users in Jammu and Kashmir and the curbs continued till date, depriving 70 percent users from availing the service.

Though the state government previously maintained that it would take up the issue of revocation of the ban with the Central government, it later surfaced that the SMS on pre-paid mobiles was banned on the orders of the State Home Department.

"The order to ban the SMS on prepaid subscribers in the state was ordered by the Home Department of J&K Government," the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited had submitted before the State Human Rights Commission.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had justified the ban on prepaid SMS in the state and had said that the service was stopped to impose a check on spreading of false and frivolous rumors which have a potential to incite violence.

Confirming this, Chief General Manager BSNL, R.K.Koul told IBNS that they have received the revocation order from the  State Home Department and all the formalities will be completed during Tuesday night.

"People of the state could avail the pre-paid SMS service from Wednesday morning," Koul said.

He said that 8.50 lakh people avail pre-paid services of BSNL in Jammu and Kashmir out of which 4.50 lakh subscribers are from Kashmir.

Bharti Airtell has more than two million pre-paid subscribers. Aircell has 20 lakh pre-paid subscribers.

(Reporting by Saleem Iqbal Qadri )
 

Image: Wikimedia Commons