The State Government is proposing to ban pre-paid mobile services to check crimes. All crimes, be it extortion, rape, or murder etc., are very bad things and one hope that such miseries do not happen to anyone. Hence one supports all efforts of the government to check crime in our state.
Stopping pre-paid services and after: There are only 68 thousand post-paid subscribers in Nagaland. Whereas there are nearly 13 lakh pre-paid subscribers. So banning pre-paid would practically mean stopping use of mobile phones altogether. Although stopping crime is imperative, banning pre-paid services alone is not enough. Post-paid connections are not popular precisely because it is very expensive. So government has to subsidize post-paid connections so that the rates are at par with pre-paid services.
Incompetence of police IT skills: We all know that a mobile call can be traced. So what is needed is a better and modern policing. Modernisation of police does not mean buying more guns or recruiting more personnel only. It means more advancement of police in Information Technology (IT) too. Cyber or IT strength of the police has to be increased and modernised substantially. Guns and physical strength are needed. But we equally need superior technology. It is so unfair for the whole public to suffer because the police are not technologically equipped to tackle crime. Why punish the public when the real need is to make our police technologically smarter?
A better option: A properly procured pre-paid sim card is free. In most cases one only has to submit a photocopy of our ID card and 4 passport photos. But 'ready made' or illegal pre-paid sim cards are sold for Rs.100 (BSNL Rs.350). Thus for the public a properly purchased sim card is so much cheaper and problem free.
What the government needs to seriously do is to completely stop the sale of 'ready made' sim cards at PCOs, mobile showrooms and other shops. If this simple task is done then half of our problems will be solved.
It is hoped that the government will come up with better options to check crimes. Stopping pre-paid services seem to be a step backwards. A proposal to ban pre-paid sim cards makes one feel like we are back to the 1990s. But if the government really could not come up with a better option than the 13 lakh pre-paid customers will be forced to stop using their mobile phones with the utopian hope that it will stop crime. Lastly it is hoped that crimes will be checked and pre-paid mobile services will continue too.
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