The Hindu : Third Front alleges scam behind introduction of CAS

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Saturday, Jul 05, 2003

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Third Front alleges scam behind introduction of CAS

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI JULY 4. Coming out strongly against the proposed new Conditional Access System (CAS) for television-watchers, the Third Front leaders here today accused the Vajpayee Government of having received "kickbacks'' for forcible introduction of CAS in the four metro cities and in the process imposing a huge financial burden on lakhs of consumers to oblige just a few vested interests.

Alleging a Rs. 2,000-crore scam in implementation of the CAS regime, the Third Front leaders charged that the BJP-led Central Government was busy collecting funds for contesting the 2004 Lok Sabha elections at the cost of consumers. The desperation to introduce CAS despite protests by the people and even the BJP leaders clearly highlighted the fact that something was fishy in this whole deal, they said. They also criticised the silence of the Congress party on the issue saying this meant tacit approval by the Congress.

Addressing a joint press conference here, the Third Front Chairman, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, and the Chairman of the Coordination Committee, Shoaib Iqbal, said a huge burden was sought to be imposed on the lower and upper middle class consumers by the BJP-led Central Government to help the cause of a few multinational companies and vested interests who were importing set-top boxes for accessing CAS.

Mr. Bidhuri said that for a household having one TV set the cost will hover around Rs. 3,000 to 5,000 and for those having more than one or even three TV sets, the cost could run up to Rs. 10,000 to 12,000.

In addition, the monthly subscription fee would also go up substantially as all three TV sets in a house would be assessed for subscription fee instead of the one earlier. "It is clear that CAS was being pushed through purposely as the NDA Government had taken kickbacks from the multinational companies importing the set-top boxes and now wanted to pass on the burden to the poor consumers,'' Mr. Shoiab Iqbal charged.

Mr. Bidhuri said there were around 67 lakh cable TV homes in the four metros where CAS was sough to be introduced. This would involve a total expenditure of Rs. 20,000 crores on purchase of set-top boxes plus a rent of Rs. 30 per TV per subscriber. The set-top boxes are not available in adequate numbers nor are they usable in the event of a consumer shifting his residence or workplace. It was a farce being promoted by the Union Government that CAS was consumer-friendly, he added.

Mr. Iqbal said this technology had been phased out in Europe during 2000, and with Doordarshan already issuing a notice for starting the DTH (Direct to Home) system from March next year, "why is the Government rushing with CAS? Why should there be two parallel systems in operation and why should the consumer be asked to pay twice for technologies which will be introduced within a few months of each other''

The Third Front spokesman, Paramjit Singh Pamma, said there were nearly 15 lakh senior citizens living in the four metros whose only income was pension and they would be forced to pay enhanced fees to the cable operators. The Third Front would strongly oppose the introduction of CAS in Delhi and if need be they would prevent installation of these set-top boxes. The Front would also burn effigies of set-top boxes on July 13 and submit a memorandum to the Prime Minister opposing the introduction of CAS. "The onion factor dislodged the BJP during the 1998 elections and now CAS will seal their fate in the 2003 Assembly polls also.''

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