Vaishno Devi pilgrims to get temporary SIM cards soon

Flip side of unrest: BSNL sees rise in sale of mobile connections, broadband

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Amit Khajuria

Tribune News Service

Jammu, August 22

Pilgrims visiting Jammu and Kashmir to pay obeisance at the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine will soon get temporary SIM cards having a validity of seven days during their stay in the state. The Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has sent a proposal to the Centre in this regard.

On the pattern of temporary SIM cards for the Amarnath yatra, the BSNL will soon start providing the same facility for the pilgrims going to Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine.

The step has been taken as the pre-paid SIM cards of other states do not work after entering Jammu and Kashmir. This service will help the pilgrims stay connected with their family and friends during their pilgrimage.

“Efforts are being made to provide special SIMs with a validity of five to seven days to the pilgrims visiting the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine from all over the country,” said HK Verma, Chief General Manager, BSNL.

The CGMT also said about 100 Wi-Fi hotspots (access points) will also be installed on the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine route to provide Wi-Fi to the pilgrims. The Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board has agreed in principle for installing these access points. However, a formal permission is awaited,” he said.

In another development, despite the number of Amarnath yatra pilgrims dropping by 1.32 lakh this year, the BSNL sold 11,000 SIM cards this year to the pilgrims as compared to 7,200 sold last year.

As the BSNL is the only operator in the state which has been given permission to continue its services during the turmoil that erupted after killing of militant commander Burhan Wani on July 8, the number of its subscribers has increased manifold in the past two months. The BSNL has sold about 20,000 mobile connections in the Valley in the past two months.

With BSNL broadband only being allowed its services during tension in Jammu, over 3,500 broadband connection have been sold in the state in the past two months, increasing its overall sale by up to 40 per cent.