Meghalaya : BSF men using Bangla SIMs, Shame for our Mbl oprts  

Shillong

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Saturday red-flagged the use of Bangladeshi SIM cards by BSF jawans posted along the international border and urged the Central government to give top priority to improve mobile connectivity in those strategic places.

Speaking at the function organised for release of the ‘Digital North East Vision 2022’ here, Sangma said the matter is of grave security concern.

The Indian telecom companies do not provide strong network in the border areas, but Bangladeshi networks are available on the Indian, he said.

“If network of the India companies crosses the border, they are penalized. That is why our private players are reluctant to put up towers along the border areas.

But it is not so in case of Bangladeshi companies. Their network is available much within India territory. As a result, even BSF jawans are using Bangladesh SIM cards.

Apart from it being a security issue, the jawans are also made to pay high in order to talk to their families,” Sangma said, asking Union IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, who was also present at the function, to address the issue on a priority basis.