NEW DELHI: The Government has no plans for new Doordarshan transmitters for expansion of terrestrial coverage except a few in border areas, the Parliament was told by Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore.

Doordarshan has 67 kendras (studio centres) and 1,416 transmitters in the country and therefore there is no need for expansion in view of multi channel coverage having been provided to all the areas uncovered by terrestrial transmission (including those located in rural/ remote/ backward/tribal regions) along with rest of the country through DD’s free-to-air DTH service Freedish.

Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of seven studios, followed by Jammu and Kashmir with four. Although other states have a maximum of two studios, each one of them widens its reach through high power transmitters, lower low power transmitters; very low power transmitters and transposers.

Rathore also told the Parliament that all areas uncovered by terrestrial transmission along with the rest of the country have been provided with multi channel TV coverage through Freedish. DTH signals can be received anywhere in the country with the help of small sized dish receive units and require only a one-time payment for purchasing the units.

The four new TV transmitter projects in Jammu and Kashmir presently under implementation are High Power Transmitters (HPTs), Rajouri (DD1 & DD News); HPT, Green Ridge; HPT, Himbotingla; and HPT Natha Top (Patnitop). The Timeline for transmitters at Rajouri is 2016 and for other locations is 2017.