Sunday, May 25, 2003
Sunday, May 25, 2003 |
| National | ||
|
News:
Front Page |
National |
Southern States |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | National
By Our Special Correspondent
Amid speculations about a possible rollback in the face of concerns expressed in various quarters about the new regime — particularly vis-a-vis the cost-factor — the Minister of State for I&B, Ravi Shankar Prasad, briefed the Prime Minister about CAS this evening soon after returning from Cannes earlier in the day. Reluctant to disclose the details, all Mr. Prasad told the media was that the Prime Minister stressed the need to protect consumer interests. Though equally tight-lipped, the I&B Secretary, Pawan Chopra — who attended the meeting along with Additional Secretary, Vijay Singh, and media adviser to the Ministry, Sudheendra Kulkarni — indicated that CAS would be implemented as per schedule in the four metropolises. During the hour-long meeting, the Prime Minister is said to have asked the I&B Minister about the cost of Set-Top Boxes needed to access pay channels under the new regime — and their availability; given the fact that they are yet to be manufactured in India. Besides asking the Ministry to ensure that CAS is consumer-friendly, Mr. Vajpayee is also reported to have instructed it to launch an awareness campaign to dispel fears consumers have about the new regime in cable television. That the controversy over CAS has become a cause for concern for the Government was evident from the timing of today's meeting. Not only was it scheduled soon after the Minister's return to the Capital, it was packed in on a day of a Cabinet reshuffle. Apparently, the Minister — who has been in constant touch with the BJP leadership from Cannes ever since speculations began over a possible rollback — had sought the appointment with Mr. Vajpayee to present the Ministry's case. Earlier in the day, the Consumer Coordination Council (CCC) — an umbrella organisation of 50 consumer groups — threatened to file public interest litigations (PILs) in the four cities. Criticising CAS at a press conference here today, the CCC members, however, did not specify when the PILs would be filed. Evidently playing a wait-and-watch game, they said the PILs would be filed ``if we have to''. Of the view that CAS did not offer any choice to consumers as cable operators and broadcasters would still decide what viewers would watch, CCC members said people should have a choice of channels and technologies; be it CAS or DTH. Also, they demanded an independent cable regulatory authority, as CAS did not regulate cable operators. For their part, cable operators — who sought to hijack the CCC press conference — threatened to hike cable charges to Rs. 500 if CAS was deferred or rolled back on the premise that they were not in a position to absorb the cost of showing pay channels any longer.
Printer friendly
page
News:
Front Page |
National |
Southern States |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
|
|
|
The Hindu Group: Home | About Us | Copyright | Archives | Contacts | Subscription Group Sites: The Hindu | Business Line | The Sportstar | Frontline | The Hindu eBooks | Home |
Copyright © 2003, The
Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of
this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of
The Hindu
|
