Mobile facilities

Mobile facilities to towns and other areas located near the Indo- Bangladesh and Indo- Myanmar border will not be extended since the Union Home Ministry and Defence Ministry have extended its prohibition due to security reasons.

The decision was taken after top officials of the two ministries visit the bordering areas recently. The decision came in spite of the recent request by a group of Members of Parlaiment (MP) from Mizoram, Tripura and Meghalya to the BSNL to extend the coverage to remote towns and villagers in the International borders.  The Members of parliament (MP) led by Tripura MP M.Sarkar, Mizoram M.P.Vanliana made this request told during the review meeting in Shillong in October this year. They also questioned the availability of the Bangladesh Grameene Phone network instead of our own mobile service providers.

Informing the twin ministries stand, a well placed source said, “The Union Home and Defense ministry reiterate their earlier rigid stand on extension of cellular phone service on grounds that the 10 kms from the International border should be kept as a buffer zone in view of the security scenario in the region”, adding,  “During the top officials visit to the border areas in the region last month, a telephone radiating power of the BSNL in Tripura was asked to be shut down because the BSNL mobile services is available into the restricted areas”.

While, the Officials direction was immediately complied but the report of the two ministries after assessing the security scenario in the north eastern region is a clear that these bordering areas will not see mobile phones in the immediate future”. It may be noted that only Agartala is the only city with an exception due to special permission granted by the two ministries. 
While it is a known fact that Bangladesh Grameene Mobile phones are being used by both the people inside the bordering areas of India and militants,  the BSNL has maintained that they cannot bar the radiation of the Bangladesh cellular mobile service providers. Citing policy matters, the BSNL however blamed Bangladesh for violating the usual practice of having barrier zone by blocking radio signals 10 kilometers from the international border,   BSNL general manger (North eastern circle) B.K.Biswas told the NNN today, “ We are abiding by the convention, but if the Union Home Ministry instructed us to extend our service to these areas, we have no problems in doing so”.

Meanwhile, the violation by Bangladesh has also been seriously note by the Two important Union Ministries in view of the threat perception to national security.

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