Kolkata, Sep 7 (PTI) West Bengal's amateur radio operators, who have long been the state's invisible first responders during cyclones and floods, are caught in a "nationality certificate" linked tangle that threatens to choke the supply of new HAM licensees, sparking alarm in disaster-management circles.

Under the Centre's radio licensing regime, aspiring HAM radio operators must apply for the Amateur Station Operator's Certificate (ASOC) examination through the Ministry of Communications' Saral Sanchar portal.

The test, a mandatory gateway to secure a license, requires applicants to upload Aadhaar, PAN and birth documents.

Most crucially, if an applicant does not have a passport, the portal demands a "nationality certificate" in a prescribed format, attested by a gazetted officer.

And therein lies the bottleneck.

"No official, neither principals of government schools and colleges nor gazetted officers of the state or Centre, who are otherwise authorised to attest documents, is ready to sign such a nationality certificate. They are saying that Aadhaar, PAN cannot be judged as proof of nationality as there are a lot of controversies regarding it, so on what basis they would sign it," Ambarish Nag Biswas, secretary of the West Bengal Radio Club (WBRC), told PTI.

"Earlier, they used to sign after verifying original copies of Aadhaar, matriculation admit card, PAN or voter ID. Now they refuse. This has paralysed the process, leaving many HAM radio aspirants unable to sit for the exam," he said.

HAM, or amateur, radio operators are licensed under the Union Ministry of Communications and authorised to use specific radio frequencies.

While the nationality certificate is officially meant to verify an applicant's citizenship, its enforcement comes amid Bengal's politically charged debates over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the prospective SIR of voter rolls.

A senior official of the Ministry of Communications & IT explained to PTI, that strict documentation was non-negotiable for getting a HAM Radio license, both for restricted grade, which is for low frequency and general grade, which is for high frequency, using the MORSE code.

Morse code is a telecommunications system using two signal durations, "dots" and "dashes" (dahs), to represent letters, numbers, and punctuation, which was widely used during World War II.

"We can't issue HAM radio licenses without proper verification. If someone has a passport, no nationality certificate is needed. But if they don't, a gazetted officer of senior rank must sign a nationality certificate proforma after checking Aadhaar, PAN and other documents. It's an old rule," the senior official of the Kolkata Wireless Monitoring Organisation under the Department of Telecommunications, speaking on condition of anonymity, said.

"If an applicant has neither a passport nor a nationality certificate, how do we know if the person is Indian?" he asked.

According to Biswas, West Bengal has around 12,000 licensed HAM operators, both restricted and general grade.

"Most are in the restricted grade and want to upgrade to the general grade but are unable to do so due to documentation hurdles. Out of these 12,000, only a handful engage in voluntary public service," he said.

"Every month, 30-40 HAM operator aspirants appear for the exam. But over the past two months, many have complained they cannot apply due to the nationality certificate requirement, since they don't have passports. Some even say that despite having passports, the portal is still demanding nationality certificates," he added.

A HAM aspirant from South 24 Parganas district said he had been unable to get a nationality certificate attested. "Neither the local BDO, SDO, nor school or college principals are willing to do it," he said.

The Trinamool Congress has seized upon the licensing hurdle, describing it as yet another instance of the Centre's "hidden NRC drive".

"Fear of NRC logic creeping into every corner of governance. As the officials might be wary that they will be held accountable due to this citizenship debate. Even HAM operators, who save lives during disasters, are now being forced to 'prove' citizenship afresh. It is harassment in the name of paperwork," a senior TMC leader said.

The BJP, however, insists the documentation is necessary.

"Radio waves don't respect borders. Infiltrators and foreign agents could misuse amateur radio if licensing is diluted. If one is a citizen, why fear proving it?" said a BJP functionary.

Lost in the political crossfire is the crucial role HAM operators play in disaster-prone Bengal.

"Every time a disaster strikes, it is proven again that when every mode of communication fails, HAM radio works. If new operators are not licensed, our network will weaken, leaving Bengal dangerously exposed during the next cyclone season," Biswas warned.

The WBRC has been holding training camps in schools and colleges to attract young talent. Dozens of students have completed training and cleared mock tests, but remain unable to apply for the ASOC exam.

"The portal won't accept applications without a nationality certificate or passport copy. Imagine their frustration," Biswas said.

The WBRC has formally written to the Department of Telecommunications, urging immediate intervention. For now, the state that pioneered community-driven disaster communication remains trapped between paperwork and politics. PTI PNT RG