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Multi System Operators (MSOs) Hathway Cable and Datacom (Rajan
Raheja venture in which Star India has a 26 per cent stake) and
Sumangali Cablevision (a division of K Maran's Sun Network) have
switched off the pay channels as of midnight of Sunday, 31 August
2003. Hathway officials have confirmed that CAS is being implemented
in Chennai. Sources claim that pay channels including the Hindi
mass entertainment channels, Raj TV and Vijay TV have gone off air.
This move comes into force despite the fact that the Madras High
Court is slated to hear a petition on CAS filed by K. Surendrakumar.
Media reports state that Surendrakumar sought to forbear the MSO
respondents and officials from in any way implementing the scheme
without following the provisions of Rule 9 to 13 of the Cable Television
Networks (Regulation) Rules 1995.
Surendrakumar has mentioned in his petition that none of the provisions
of Rules 9 to 13, relating to details on free-to-air channels and
a declaration by local cable operators, had been complied with in
Chennai and under such circumstances if the CAS regime became operational
it would be a `futile exercise' and against the spirit of the Act,
resulting in `confusion, chaos and fleecing of subscribers by operators'.
Surendrakumar pointed out that the CAS could not be implemented
without the set top boxes and added that till date no information
on their rate, rental charges, warranty, security deposit and its
refund had been disseminated to subscribers who are still in the
dark about the new regime. Also, as these boxes are not available
in the open market consumers cannot hope to procure them independently.
Meanwhile, the implementation of CAS hasn't started in the other
two cities - Mumbai and Kolkata. In Mumbai, MSOs Hathway Cable &
Datacom and INCableNet haven't enforced any blackout of pay channels
in south Mumbai (Zone 1).
The reasons being quoted are: the ongoing festival of Ganesh Chaturthi,
the existing uncertainty due to lack of clear-cut instructions from
the central government or I&B ministry; and staunch opposition
from the Shiv Sena. The MSO executives and the cable operators are
awaiting the outcome of the government appointed CAS implementation
task force meeting in New Delhi scheduled for 3 pm today.
The indiantelevision.com team spoke to several consumers in south
Mumbai and they confirmed that there were no blackouts (of pay channels)
as of now.
The West Bengal government on Sunday said that CAS would not be
implemented in Kolkata and has sought further clarifications from
the I&B ministry. In an unprecedented move, the chief minister,
Buddhadev Bhattacharjee, has been quoted as urging the centre to
take the respective state governments into confidence before implementing
it.
Perhaps, the communist CPI-M government is taking a leaf from the
book of the Congress chief minister Sheila Dixit and BJP Delhi state
leader Madan Lal Khurana who has opposed CAS implementation in Delhi
and the Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray in Mumbai. These politicians
have succeeded in stalling CAS - at least temporarily - rollout
in their respective cities.
Media reports have quoted Kolkata city police chief, Sujoy Chakraborty,
who has asked the dominant MSOs - RPG Netcom, Citicable and Manthan
- to avoid enforcing CAS.
Bhattacharjee also suggested that the centre should form a committee
and ascertain the views of the governments, the operators and consumers.
Although it is not clear whether the I&B ministry will consider
these suggestions.
Till then, all eyes on the government appointed CAS implementation
task force meeting at 3 pm in Delhi and the Madras High Court.
Also read:
Nothing official about
CAS deferment
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