License-less walkie-talkies make mockery of police channel
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, January 15 2015:
Even though there is provision under Indian Telegraph Act, 1993 for private individuals to use walkie-talkies after obtaining necessary frequency license, indiscriminate use of walkie-talkies by people with connections including Ministers, MLAs, contractors, and even film actors, etc, in Manipur has made a complete mockery of the police channel, creating lots of problem.
Talking to Hueiyen Lanpao, a top police officer pointed out that for using walkie-talkie or wireless set in the country, any private individual or party has to take necessary frequency license from the Ministry of Communication, Government of India.
Only after getting the required license, the Wireless Section of the Police Department of the State concerned has to issue the walkie-talkie sets and ensure that the frequency to be used is not mixed up with that of the police.
The frequency license is also to be renewed from time to time and all related records of the walkie-talkies issued are to be kept in the Wireless Department.
But in case of Manipur, any Tom, Dick and Harry who have connections are using walkie-talkie or wireless set without the required license.
At present, there are just two hospitals in Manipur which have actually taken the mandatory licenses for using walkie-talkies.
Besides these two hospitals, Wireless Section of the Manipur Police Department has not received any application for utilizing walkie-talkies from anywhere in Manipur so far, the police officer disclosed.
However, there has been no let up in the number of people using Chinese-made walkie-talkie sets bought either from Myanmar or Bangkok in Manipur today and these walkie-talkies are manufactured by companies not recognized by the Government of India, the officer added.
Moreover, apart from police and other security forces, the permission of frequency channel given for using walkie-talkies to private individuals may be only one, but the types of walkie-talkies being used in Manipur without the necessary licenses can not only operate at various channels but also even at low as well as high frequencies.
Now, it is an open secret that many individuals are even using the walkie-talkies once used by various underground outfits so much so that in places like Tamenglong district, the frequency channels of the police have been overran.
With the wireless sets of the police having scramblers, it may be difficult for any person to decipher what was being said or transmitted, but the congestion or overlapping of the airwaves has created problem for the police in performing their duties.
Taking serious note of the matter, the top officials of the Manipur Police Wireless Department has given instruction to all SPs of the districts for launching a crackdown on those using walkie-talkies without permission, the top police officer further disclosed.