Even after three months of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry directing digitisation of home cable connections, several people in the State have been deprived of their rights to digitisation, and several have been given boxes at exorbitant prices. A comparison of the prices has shown peak over-charging of nearly Rs 1,400 rupees and an average of Rs 900 to 1,000 overcharging per subscriber.
The Gazette notification of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Amendment in December 2011 had made digitisation of local cable networks compulsory. It has been nearly four years since the notification came in force, but many cable TV subscribers have still not received the digital boxes.
It was heard from cable operators that due to short supply of these boxes, they are unable to provide the same to the customers.
By creating this vacuum in demand and supply, the cable operators are charging extravagantly from the subscribers. The digitisation box, which will give the viewers access to HD channels, is being priced between Rs 1,100 to 2,500 irrespective of the maximum retail price of the box. Additionally, there is no warranty for these boxes as they are mostly of China make.
When called on the toll-free helpline of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the call centre executive said, “We can’t give the exact figure of the cost of the box as there is no rate fixed by the department for the cost of the box.”
Relying on the Census 2011, Goa has 70 urban areas that come under the phase III of the digitisation. There are nearly 1.68 lakh cable TV users.
Several subscribers were initially provided normal definition boxes, for which they had paid nearly Rs 1,500. After the HD boxes came in at the same price, the subscriber was forced to take the newer machines and lose the earlier devices.
The cable operators have now begun to extort money from the subscribers in the garb of restricted supply of digital receivers. Several connections have begun going off and people are paying extravagant prices for the receivers – a modus operandi of black marketers.
Similar problems are being faced by the people in Curchorem, where the cable operators have failed to provide facilities to the subscribers.
The people are willing to complain, but due to lack of knowledge of the proper appellate authority, the people are frustrated.
The people of Goa are dependent on cable TV and local channels for local news. However, nearly 70 percent of people have been deprived of the cable connection, the reason given is that new cabling work in progress.
Rural areas of Curchorem are the most hit, with only two or three houses being provided with digital boxes in Camaral out of 20, and not even one box in Astemol and other areas. The same condition prevails in Quepem. The people have complained that they are ready to get the boxes fit, but the operator is not providing the people with the device. When contacted, a cable operator told that each box is being fit at a cost of Rs 1,700 or more and the people are helplessly pulled into the trap.
When contacted, Roland Martin of NGO GOACAN, who works for consumer rights, said, “No authority can do anything if the subscriber doesn’t take a proper bill of the box by checking the MRP of the device. We urge the people to check the MRP and take a proper bill and if they feel they are being overcharged, they can now complain directly to the Consumer Rights Forum.”
The people of Goa, and probably the country, are being reportedly being fooled by creating panic by setting deadlines and are losing hard-earned money for the services. All this time, this overcharging has only been behind the scenes, but as the people lose their calm, they are voicing their problems of failed services and irregularities. The government will have to intervene and get the hitches corrected before the digitisation balloon is pricked by the knife of a scam.
