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Delhi cable operators switch off transmission

Millions of television screens in the capital went blank on Tuesday as cable television operators began their three-day strike protesting 'lop-sided' amendments to the Cable Television Network Act and said that the government's assurances on their grievances 'hold no water'.

Amid threats by agitating operators to intensify their stir and include other northern states, Delhiites were reminded of the days when Doordarshan ruled supreme.

The strike may spread to Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Bombay, Rakesh Datta of the Cable TV Operators United Forum, told reporters in New Delhi.

He said assurances by Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley that operators' 'legitimate' business would not be affected, 'hold no water' as a minister does not hold the post permanently but the law would continue forever 'subjecting the operators to harassment by local authorities, including the police'.

The forum, which is spearheading the agitation, is alleging that the 'lop-sided' amendments to the Cable TV Network Act on the advertisement and programme codes would hit the operators hard but not regulate the satellite channels beaming the content.

"Pay channels are outside the purview of the law. Government is not coming out with a regulatory authority for broadcasters and is instead targeting cable operators."

Regarding the contentious issue of piracy, Datta said, "Why doesn't the government ban video channels if they are serious about checking piracy."

The cable operators' forum has warned that the agitation would be 'continued, intensified and carried out in all towns and cities of the country' if government failed to effectively address their grievances.

Jaitley, who saw no rationale behind the strike, has already appealed to the operators to call off the agitation and expressed the government's readiness to discuss any issue with them.

He has already sought to allay apprehensions of the operators saying the prime concern of the operators should be to 'discipline' themselves regarding piracy while the programme and advertisement codes were mainly for the satellite channels.

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