Ramanathapuram
Minister for Information Technology M Manikandan warned cancellation of licences of the operators of Tamil Nadu Cable TV Corporation (TNCTV) if they collected additional money for activating Set Top Boxes (STBs), being provided free of cost to the consumers.
In a brief chat with reporters after inaugurating Amma Park and Gym at Peikarumbu in Rameswaram on Saturday, the Minister said the TNCTV was presently providing HD set top boxes and fixed the activation charge at ₹ 500.
If operators charged more than the prescribed amount, the consumers could lodge complaints with TNCTV, using the toll-free number and the licences of the operators would be cancelled, he said. Similarly, the TNCTV has fixed activation charge for standard set top boxes at ₹ 200, he said.
As promised in the election manifesto, the government has been distributing free set top boxes to the people every year and this year, the government has so far distributed 29 lakh set top boxes to the people, he said. The government proposed to provide four lakhs more set top boxes, he said and appealed to the people to avail the services of the TNCTV instead of opting for the services of private operators.
Without naming a private television network, the Minister said private operators would offer services at much reduced rate to start with like they had offered newspaper at the rate of ₹ One but gradually increase the charges after bringing the consumers under their network.
On Friday, Collector S. Natarajan also warned cancellation of licences of TNCTV operators if they forced the consumers to opt for set top boxes of private operators. He said more than 50,000 of the 1.02 lakh TNCTV consumers had been provided with set top boxes in the district so far, he said.
Stating that complaints were being received that the operators forced consumers to opt for set top boxes of private operators, deliberately disrupting Arasu cable connections and indulged in misappropriation of subscriptions after giving false figures of subscriber, the Collector warned stern action against the operators.
