DoT has initiated the process of imposing penalties on telecom operators for violating subscriber verification norms. With security agencies expressing concern over the provision of SIM cards to unverified subscribers, DoT conducted some random checks, which revealed that a number of subscribers did not have proper identification papers. While the government had notified verification norms more than a year ago, operators have been seeking more time to complete the verification of the over 300 million subscribers. However, with DoT having started the penalty process, operators are now required to pay Rs 1,000 for each subscriber found without proper identification documents.
DoT has also asked operators to shut down the operation of dealers who are not verifying subscriber credentials before giving out connections.
