The High Court on Wednesday accepted a PIl filed by activists on the issue of indiscriminate sale and distribution of SIM cards by telecom companies without maintaining correct identity documents. Talking to reporters here, the activists including Ashok Nanda, Pradipta Nayak, Akhand, JB Sarangi, Dr Madhu Mishra and Jayant Das said the sale of SIM cards without valid documents thereby violating the license condition by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is a big threat to national security.
They expressed grave concern over the rampant sale of SIM cards without proper documents in the State. It was seen that such SIM cards are used by anti-socials, mafias and terrorists for their dangerous agendas. And the highly profit making telecom companies are willfully facilitating incubation of such activities, they added.
“We are not only concerned about the national security but also worried about any possible threat from terror groups during the upcoming Nabakalebara and Rath Yatra in Puri. If we fail to stop selling of the SIM cards (without document), the anti-socials and terror group may use for their dangerous missions,” said activist Pradipta Nayak.
Nayak said the telecom companies give hard targets to their distributors and sales network to maximise the number of sale or distribution of SIM cards. It brings them direct income and much more than that. They also eye upon getting new mobile number-series with the exhaustion of existing allotted series from the DoT, he added.
To get benefit, activists Nanda said, the companies covertly employ two groups of criminal service providers, one that forges the Voter ID and similar identity document and another that forges signature of customer, distributor and retailer on the company application form. In Odisha alone, he said, at least 10 lakh SIM cards are released to market every month with most of it apparently so pre-activated.
The activists had informed the court that in spite of regular information, the regulatory authority and officers in charge of social and national security have shown deaf ears. Activists sought action against all those found to be directly and indirectly responsible for this willful criminal negligence.