Ahmedabad, 14 November 2014

There are 1,676 phone numbers on Vodafone’s network in Gujarat where the Caller Line Identification Restriction(CLIR) facility has been provided. When CLIR mobile consumer dials some number the person at other end is not able to see incoming number, instead he sees ‘Private number’ written on mobile screen. In Delhi, Airtel has 367 subscribers with masked numbers and Vodafone has 157.

The operators have established a standard operating procedure in terms of verifying the requests for CLIR, but the security agencies want standardised guidelines to be issued.

The Department of Telecom is now in the process of finalising guidelines which require multiple levels of clearances as per which, any request for masking phone number from a common user will have to be cleared by the local police and also the Telecom Enforcement Resource and Monitoring (TERM) Cell.Persons holding key constitutional posts including Governors, Chief Ministers, Judges of Supreme Court and Services Chiefs can get their phone numbers masked within two days of putting in their request.