Cable users' forum to discuss fee hike today

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, SEPT. 1. The Forum for Cable Users (FOCUS), a federation of welfare associations of Venkataramana Colony, Padmavathi Nagar and Naveen Nagar Colony, is organising a meeting here on Sunday to discuss the "arbitrary" cable television fee hike being imposed by operators.

The Forum has appealed to all residential welfare associations in the twin cities to attend the meeting to be held at the Venkataramana Colony community hall at 4 p.m.

"The cable fee has been abnormally hiked from Rs. 100 to Rs. 200. The meeting is a part of the Forum's effort to fight for the rights of cable television subscribers and bring about transparency in fixation of the monthly cable charges," the presidents of Venkataramana Colony and Padmavathi Nagar Colony, Dr. M. Gouri Shankara Rao and Mr.R. Soma Sundara Rao, said.

Various aspects such as syndication of cable operators who resort to coercion and snapping of cables, non-issue of receipts, whereby no evidence exists for verification, non-interference of the Government on the issue of abnormal fee hike and so on would de discussed. The deliberations would also cover matters pertaining to deposits collected by operators, demarcation of areas by operators to scuttle competition, disconnection of cable by them without refunding deposit etc.

"We were able to bring about some resistance to the high-handed way of cable operators. The only form of entertainment and information to people cannot be hijacked by a group of cable operators for their pecuniary interests. The onus is on us to check them fro riding roughshod over subscribers," the leaders of the colonies -- these were the first in the city to oppose the cable tariff hike fee and boycott cable services en masse -- said.

"The onus is on hundreds of residential colonies in the city to unitedly fight the hike" was their fervent plea.

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Section  : Southern States
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