SIM buyers to face stricter verification

In a bid to check extortion by issuing threats over the phone, the government will verify the national identity cards of new mobile phone subscribers before activating their SIM cards.
Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu told this to journalists yesterday after a meeting of the cabinet committee on law and order at the home ministry.
Once the NID is verified by the authorities concerned, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission will give clearance to cell phone operators for activating the SIM (subscriber identification module) cards, he added.

The meeting discussed mobile banking and decided to set an upper limit to such transaction, mentioned the minister.
On the exodus of Eid holidaymakers from the cities, he said police will be deployed at launch terminals to check overloading of vessels.
Amu said Law Minister Anisul Haque assured the meeting of taking steps to ease the huge backlog of cases in courts by disposing of lawsuits in speedy trial tribunals within stipulated time.
The meeting instructed police to submit final reports to courts in cases where witnesses and accused could not be traced for long.
Meeting sources said a committee will be formed soon to implement the decisions of the meeting.
The government, added the sources, is also mulling over increasing the number of judges in speedy trial tribunals and utilising the less-burdened tribunals in each districts to the full extent.
Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan and State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan were present.