The State-owned Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Corporation will launch its operations throughout the State, barring Chennai, from September 2, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa told the Assembly on Tuesday.
Making a suo motu statement in the House, she said that the corporation would telecast 90 channels, including pay channels. “It will begin with free channels and steps are being taken to get the pay channels. Soon, customers will get the pay channels.” The cable TV operators, who have joined the Arasu Cable TV Corporation will collect a monthly subscription of Rs.70 from the customers and pay Rs.20 to the Corporation. Each customer can save between Rs.70 and Rs.100 per month.
Ms. Jayalalithaa said though the DMK government launched the corporation in 2007 and provided over 50,000 connections, its functioning was crippled because of the self-serving DMK rulers. On March 31, 2011, the number of connections had come down to just 432.
Recalling the promise made in the AIADMK's election manifesto that her government would break the monopoly in cable TV business and people would be given connections at a cheaper rate, she said that the corporation was revived by appointing an IAS officer as its Managing Director besides creating a post of full-time Chairman.
Ms. Jayalalithaa said that 34,344 cable TV operators with 1.45 crore connections had joined the Arasu Cable TV Corporation. The government had taken steps to maintain the existing head-ends at Thanjavur, Coimbatore, Vellore and Tirunelveli.
In the other 27 districts, government would hire head-ends maintained by private operators. Besides, new analog cable TV control rooms would be set up.
