?No provision to take direct control?

THE MEETING conducted between the two warring MSOs at the police control room in the presence of SP Anant Kumar Singh and additional district magistrate M B Ojha on Friday evening, failed to bring a solution. Meanwhile, the patience level of citizens is slowly reaching its nadir with cable operations remaining disrupted in the City on fifth day today.

City unplugged, meeting fails

HT Image

THE MEETING conducted between the two warring MSOs at the police control room in the presence of SP Anant Kumar Singh and additional district magistrate M B Ojha on Friday evening, failed to bring a solution. Meanwhile, the patience level of citizens is slowly reaching its nadir with cable operations remaining disrupted in the City on fifth day today.

The fact that an important cricket match between India and West Indies was being played today further added to the rage of the citizens. Citizens are fuming that MSOs seem to have held the entire administrative and police system in the City at ransom and are involved in `criminal’ activities like cable cutting without any fear.

A citizen from Rachna Nagar while talking to Hindustan Times asked what the administration was doing in the matter. “Is it just watching helplessly in silence,’’ he fumed.

The face-to-face meeting between the MSOs was the first since the fresh war between Raj TV and B TV broke out in the City leading to large-scale cable cutting across the City and consequent total blackout of cable operations.
ADM Ojha told Hindustan Times the MSOs were asked to find a compromise to the issue, failing which some strict action would be initiated.

“A breakthrough was achieved in sense that these warring MSOs talked face to face and looked in a mood to reach a compromise,’’ Ojha said. However, no solution was in sight until late evening.

 

Admn criticised for failing to take action
FORMER MINISTER of State for Home and Congress MLA Satyadev Katare today criticised the Bhopal administration for failing to take action for restoration of cable telecast in the City. 

In a press statement issued here today, Katare said there was no cable telecast in the City due to the cable war between two rival multi system operators (MSOs) and the district administration had done precious little for the restoration of services despite being aware of the deep resentment among cable consumers over the issue.

He said either the Bhopal administration seems to have become inert or was unable to intervene in the war between two strong business groups engaged in cable telecast in Bhopal.

He expressed surprise that such was the situation in Bhopal – the seat of power- where ministers and senior bureaucrats of the State resided.

When the administration was so ‘helpless’ to tackle the situation in Bhopal, the situation in other parts of State could well be gauged, he said.

Katare further urged Chief Minister to intervene in the matter and bring in legislation to ensure that such a situation did not arise in future.