NEW DELHI: Stung by various politicians coming out against CAS, it is the turn of the cable operators to issue warnings.
Reacting to Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit rushing off a missive to information and broadcasting minister Ravi Shankar Prasad asking the CAS implementation date be reviewed as it was an anti-consumer move, the NCTA has also alleged that the Congress party that rules in Delhi has a political agenda.
"All this seems to be another effort by the Congress party to play at the hands of the powerful pay channel broadcasters lobby and sacrifice the interest of the Indian consumers," a statement from NCTA states.
But in poor taste is the threat given to the consumer in whose name the whole battle of CAS is being fought. "Pay by the 7th of each month, failing which connection will be disconnected (and) reconnection charges would be Rs. 100," a National Cable & Telecom Asoociation release warns the cable consumers of Delhi.
The release, which takes on the Delhi government for its reported stand on CAS, goes on to add that the Entertainment Tax as levied by the state government on the Cable TV subscribers was doubled by this very same Congress Government in Delhi without keeping in mind any consideration for the middle class and the lower middle class section of the society.
"The same when the Cable Service Provider started to collect from their customers money, it is termed as an arbitrary increase in subscription. Unaware and innocent of the functioning of the cable industry our Hon'ble Chief Minister still wants the deferment in the implementation of CAS," the NCTA statement, quoted its preisdent Vickky Chowdhry, as saying.
However, the release has a threatening note that directs consumers that if then monthly payments are not made within a specified date, the cable service would be discontinued.
In a related development, the Cable Operators' federation of India has today written to the PM saying that a "section of the media and politicians with vested interest" are politicising the government's policy on CAS.