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Cable operators give govt a breather

About 700 cable operators from New Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, have decided to call off their strike, conditionally, from Thursday night. The operators' decision followed a meeting called by the Cable Television Operators United Front in Delhi on Wednesday.

Rakesh Dutta, member of the action committee, said, "It has been unanimously decided that the strike will end on Thursday night. We will submit a memorandum to Minister of State (independent charge) of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Arun Jaitley on Thursday morning. We will give the government time to think about our demands; may be a month. If no decision is taken in our favour, we will go on strike again."

Dutta said, "The agitation stems from the government's failure to enact a comprehensive legislation to bring activities of private channels under the ambit of Indian laws despite directions issued by the Supreme Court in 1995, to set up an authority to regulate broadcasting immediately."

Dutta added, "Only India has no laws to regulate private television broadcasting."

Satish Singh, president, Cable Operators Association, Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh), said, "We cannot do anything if there is an objectionable advertisement or an obscene scene in a programme being broadcast by a private channel. Nor can we stop viewers from watching it."

Singh said, "We joined the strike on Wednesday afternoon and will continue it if need be. The strike is on in Delhi, UP and Haryana. If our demands are not met, cable operators countrywide would not hesitate to go on strike."

However, there appeared to differences among the operators. A faction of cable operators, claiming to be representing the Cable Operators Federation of India, led by Roop Sharma met Jaitley and announced that the strike had been called off.

But according to the CTOUF, the 'insignificant' group was not affiliated to it and was 'misrepresenting' the facts about the agitation.

Ajit Kakker, a member of CTOUF, Noida, said, "We don't know the basis of Roop Sharma's decision. She is just a franchisee in west Delhi. Even those initially supporting her have now signed a resolution along with all the other operators that the strike will end only when such a decision was taken unanimously."

"Sharma is now out of our association," Kakker added.

EARLIER REPORT
Delhi cable operators switch off transmission

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