Operators want Arasu Cable monthly rate hiked

VELLORE: The Thamizhaga Cable TV operators General Welfare Association (TCOA) has demanded that the state government should hike the monthly subscription collected from the households be increased to ` 100 from ` 70 with an yearly hike of 10 percent. TCOA, which held its North Zonal consultative meeting here on Tuesday that was chaired by the state president of the association P Sakilan, pressed for the demand owing to the escalating cost of maintenance of cable network, electricity charges, administration and equipment cost etc.A resolution to this effect was adopted at the meeting. Sakilan said that Arasu Cable should upgrade the transmission equipment by switching over to a digital format. He also wanted the state to provide relief measures to the cable operators whose networks were destroyed by the recent Thane cyclone in the districts of Villupuram and Cuddalore. An estimated ` 9 crore worth of equipment was destroyed. The state should waive the payment of subscription by the cable operators for a period of six months, he added.The association has come up with a suggestion to establish state, district and taluk level consultative committees to fine tune the operation of Arasu cable. In order to press all these demands, members of the association would be holding a rally in Chennai on February 21.