Cable operators' control rooms forcefully acquired

Chennai, Sep 25 (UNI) The Tamil Nadu Cable TV Owners and Consumer Welfare Association today alleged that a group of people was forcibly acquiring control rooms of the cable TV operators in Madurai and other southern districts, using their political clout.

Talking to newspersons here, Association President T V Ramesh and South India Federation of Cable Operators Coordinator D G V P Sekar said the group was purportedly led by Tamizhaga Cable TV Operators General Welfare Association President Shakilan.

''They have acquired about 40 per cent of the control rooms in Madurai alone. They also cut the connections of existing cable TV operators and said operators had to use the feed given only by the newly formed Royal Cable TV Private Limited. About 20 per cent of the operators, who had lost their control rooms have agreed to it due to fear,'' they alleged.

This was happening despite Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's announcement that the interests of Cable TV operators would be protected once the Government-owned Arasu Cable TV Corporation came into being.

They regretted that violence that had crept into the cable TV industry and urged the Government to protect the interests of cable TV operators by preventing such forcible acquisition of control rooms and taking action against Shakilan.

UNI