KANNUR: The Cable TV Operators Association (COA) has threatened to launch a statewide agitation in protest against the steep hike in the rent of KSEB electric posts used by operators to give connections to households.
"The annual rent for an electric post, which was just Rs 17 in 1999, is now Rs 311," said COA district secretary Biju Kambrath on Tuesday.
"Moreover, we have to pay this amount in advance. And in case an additional post is required, we have to pay an advance that is three times its rent," he said. The board's decision would make the survival of small-time cable TV operators difficult, he added. Though the Kerala high court had issued an interim order against the hike in rent violating norms, the board ignored this. KSEB was also disconnecting the power supply of those operators who protested against the rent hike, the COA alleged. As part of the agitation, the COA will organize district-level campaigns. The association will organize a hunger strike at the Stadium Corner here on Thursday. In the second week of November, the COA will organize two state-level campaigns, followed by a secretariat march.
