Imphal, April 20 : Manipur police have asked mobile service providers to provide a list of the caretakers of their mobile towers and the locations of the towers in the state as part of security measures for their staff and assets.
“We have asked the service providers to give us a list of the names and locations so that these can be brought under security cover,” the director-general of police (DGP), Yumnam Joykumar Singh, said today.
The demand came after Delhi-based Association of Unified Telecom Service Providers of India and Cellular Operators Association of India demanded “complete security” for their employees and assets in the state.
The two organisations submitted identical representations to chief secretary D. S. Poonia and the police chief on April 13.
The representation came after suspected militants shot dead the caretaker of a tower at Wangkhei in Imphal East recently, allegedly for not heeding their monetary demands.
According to the service providers, of the 33 towns in Manipur, 30 towns are connected by telecom services.
Telecom networks have also connected 1,100 of the 2,400 villages in the state.
Private cellphone companies Vodafone, Airtel, Idea, Aircel and Reliance are operating in the state.
The associations said because of frequent extortion threats and grenade attacks on the towers, they were forced to shut down, disrupting services. Militants also threaten landlords and security guards.
These incidents have resulted in the caretakers of the towers operated by the service providers switching off their sites, resulting in complete disruption of service, the representation said.
“Under the circumstances, the operators are being forced against their will to consider exiting the state, a move that will surely impact the lives of lakhs of people who depend on them for connectivity,” it said.
The residents of various localities have staged sit-ins, denouncing the attacks.
The police chief said the service providers’ organisations were yet to provide the list of the caretakers and the locations of the towers.
“Without knowing these it would be very difficult for the police department to provide security for the towers. The list should be provided promptly so that steps can be taken for security cover. They should co-operate with us,” Joykumar Singh said.
He said the names of the caretakers were necessary, as their antecedents needed to be verified. He said a tower caretaker was involved in a recent extortion case in Bishnupur district and more are suspected to be involved in such cases.
However, patrolling and frisking operations have been intensified in all the districts to prevent attacks, the DGP added.