Capital Development Authority (CDA) takes action against cable TV operators
ISLAMABAD- The Capital Development Authority removed the connections of three cable TV operators running their business without no objection certificates from the CDA.
CDA informed people to avoid getting connections from those operators who had not acquired NOCs. The CDA spokesman said ultimately subscribers will suffer if they were not careful. “Before getting cable TV connections, people should confirm whether the cable operator has taken an NOC from CDA or not,” he warned.
A letter issued by CDA to the cable operators said the CDA noticed that some cable operators in Islamabad are laying underground cables without having valid license/NOC from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority and permission from CDA.
CDA said sensitive cable network of PTCL and WAPDA was laid all over the city and unauthorised laying of cables by the operators could cause damages to these lines involving huge expenditure for their repair.
The authority advised all cable operators to approach the CDA along with PTA licence/NOC to obtain the line alignment and permission for road cut before laying any cables. Anyone involved in laying sables without permission from CDA would be processed against relevant laws/regulations and the material liable to confiscation.
Residents of Islamabad will be deprived of the facility of cable channels as the CDA has termed the laying of such cable as ‘unauthorised and dangerous for the already laid out network of underground sensitive cables. The facility of cable channels have been provided to the residents of Rawalpindi where cable operators used poles of telecommunication and walls of joint houses in Mohallas to provide cable connections to each and all houses. Similarly facility has also been provide to the people big cities like Karachi, Lahore etc.
But cable operators in Islamabad had to lay cable under ground as poles of telecommunication in Islamabad are insufficient to establish network of cable. As Islamabad has no Mohalla like environment, cable operators cannot use walls of house to provide cable facility to all houses.
Cable operators in Rawalpindi are providing facility of 20 different channels of different countries to the viewers through a cable connection for which they are charging Rs 2000 as installation fee and Rs 200 per month as line rent. The trend of dish antennas is gradually declining in Rawalpindi as people are preferring to get cable connections.
AIOU: The Board of Advance Studies and Research of Allama Iqbal Open University approved synopses for theses for M.Phil and PhD here on Wednesday. Only those students synopses were accepted who had completed their teaching period of M.Phil and PhD of Urdu, lqbaliyat, Islamiyat and education programmes.
Source: Dawn
Date:10/21/2000