Cellphone trade on in CHT despite ban


Khagrachari, February 14: Mobile phone business in three hill districts--Khagrachhari, Rangamati and Bandarban--continues despite a ban imposed by the caretaker government.

On February 4, the government imposed a ban on mobile phone business in Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) in the interest of national security. But the owners of the call centres are still doing the business, using antenna.

This correspondent visited the eight upazilas of Khagrachhari district and found several hundred mobile phone businessmen continuing their business, using antenna.

Liton, owner of Alap Telephone centre in Khagrachhari Market said, "We use mobile phone secretly. The administration is ignorant about it.

Farid Mazumder, another mobile phone businessman at Khagrapur under Khagrachhari Sadar upazila, said he uses the antenna without any hesitation, as most of his consumers are from the police and army.

An engineer from Khagrachhari BTTB office requesting anonymity said a good number of privately owned call centres is doing mobile phone business in Manikchhari upazila defying the ban.

When contacted, additional superintendent of police, Khagrachhari, said they will investigate the mater and take immediate action if anybody is found defying the ban.