NEWSLINKS US EDITION SOUTH ASIA COLUMNISTS DIARY SPECIALS INTERVIEWS CAPITAL BUZZ REDIFF POLL DEAR REDIFF THE STATES ELECTIONS ARCHIVES US ARCHIVES SEARCH REDIFF
The All India Cable Operators Association (AICOA) had called for a blackout to put pressure on the government to introduce the bill in the upper house without further delay.
AICOA western region president Ashok Bhanushali claimed in Mumbai that more than 80,000 cable operators across the country had shut down their network.
The legislation, which would allow consumers to watch channels of their choice and, thus, avoid paying for all channels being provided by a cable operator, has already been passed in the Lok Sabha.
In the capital, the strike began at 0900 hrs IST and cable operators said the blackout would end by midnight on Wednesday.
Narayanan's farewell address was to be relayed live through the state-run Doordarshan and carried by private channels too.
The Cable Operators United Front (COUF) held a demonstration in Parliament Street where they burnt effigies of the government, opposition parties and broadcasters whom they blamed for the delay in passage of the Bill.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Sushma Swaraj, reacting to press reports that some cable operators had threatened to cut off cable connections of those MPs who opposed the bill, said, "No external pressure can or should influence legislative procedures of business.''
Terming the development as unfortunate, she asked cable operators to exercise restraint and desist from adopting a path of confrontation.
In Maharashtra, cable operators shut down their network for 15 hours from 0900 hrs IST.
AICOA will hold a meeting in Mumbai on Thursday to discuss the future course of action.
In Tamil Nadu, a spokesman for Hathway Cable TV Network, one of the two leading cable TV operators, said the telecast of regional channels would also be stopped for four hours from 1400 hrs to 1800 hrs.
In Karnataka, cable operators in Bangalore suspended transmission from 0600 hrs while in Pondicherry telecast of all pay channels was suspended from 0600 hrs on Wednesday.
UNI
The 11th President of India: Complete Coverage
The Presidency: A Special Series
Back to top
Tell us what you think of this report
