MUMBAI: Even as the CAS light continues to dim, there are increasing signs that the next round of blackouts are around the corner.

Over 300 cable operators in Patna, the capital of India's northern state of Bihar, on Tuesday went on an indefinite strike. They were demanding withdrawal of the hike in subscriptions of pay channels and rationalisation of entertainment tax by the state government, the Press Trust of India quoted association president Amit Prakash as saying.

While this was the first major direct action by the cable fraternity in the New Year, there have already been warnings issued from different quarters that similar action is being contemplated.

Cable operators in Delhi are contemplating a joint action wherein all TV channels will be blacked out for a day. "The blackout will be a token strike for a day to force the government to act in the interest of the general public. The date of the strike will be announced shortly after consultations in the other metropolitans," Cable Operators’ United Front president Virender Gaur was quoted as saying by The Asian Age on Monday.

In Mumbai meanwhile, the Shiv Sena backed Cable Operators and Distributors Association (CODA), which claims to speak for the last mile operators in Mumbai, has vowed to resist any further hikes in pay channel rates.

Winter may be upon us but expect temperatures to flare over the next few days as pay channels negotiate the new subscription rates for 2004.