Madras HC refuses to extend digitisation, Chennai may face a cable blackout.

[HOUSE-MD]

Madras HC refuses to extend digitisation, Chennai may face a cable blackout.
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Residents across Chennai hoping for a deadline extension for cable TV digitisation will have to live with the current deadline, as the Madras HC has refused to extend the deadline further. The Times of India reports that the Tamil Nadu government and local cable TV operators could not get the Madras HC to extend the deadline for cable TV digitisation beyond November 19. A bench comprising Justice Elipe Dharma Rao and Justice S Rajeswaran refused to further extend the deadline on grounds that the interim order expired on November 19 itself.

Earlier this month, the Madras High Court pumped in some more breathing time for the residents of Chennai to go digital and the deadline for cable TV digitisation was extended to November 19. The decision came days after the court granted Chennai an extension till November 5 from the earlier October 31 deadline after it was found that the digitisation process was far from complete.

Elaborating upon the turn of events leading to the deadline extension, reports at the time quoted Justice N Paul Vasanthakumar as opining that since the matter had public interest at heart, it should be heard by a division bench. Yesterday, quite a few writ petitions filed by the Cable Television Operators' Federation and multi-system operators (MSOs) were brought up for hearing.

Quoting Senior Central Government Standing Counsel Haja Mohideen Gisthi, the report went on to add that the deadline has not been extended and that the process of digitisation would be put into action soon.

It has been known that the state-owned Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Corporation Limited previously filed a counter-affidavit to get the deadline extended to March 31, 2013. The corporation's General Manager, N Varadhan, revealed that steps were being taken to digitise cable TV services in Chennai, and it floated tenders for the purpose.

In a rather interesting revelation at the time, P S Raman, Senior Counsel for Sun TV Network, stated that Sun Network had over 2 lakh set top boxes (STBs) in its possession. He added that it would take only 20 days to start distribution if the MSOs placed their orders. Raman even said that Sun TV Network had not been approached by any cable operator for STB supply, and hence claims of a shortage of STBs were false.

According to Gisthi, the Centre “was prepared to extend the last date up to December 31 if an undertaking was given by the state government that it would implement digital access system (DAS) in Chennai within a time frame.” Gisthi also gave a copy of a letter written by the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to the counsel.

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Madras HC refuses to extend digitisation deadline for Chennai

 

[HOUSE-MD]

Cable TV to go digital in Chennai as high court refuses relief
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CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government and local cable television operators failed in their bid to get the deadline for digitization of TV signals extended for Chennai with the Madras high court refusing to give any further relief. The court had already extended the deadline till November 19 though the mandatory digitization regime was to come into force in the four metros - Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai - from October 31.

Based on a petition filed by cable TV operators, the court first extended the deadline to November 5. Since then it was periodically extended till November 19, when the single judge felt the matter should be treated as a PIL and heard by a division bench. On Thursday, a bench comprising Justice Elipe Dharma Rao and Justice S Rajeswaran said it would not extend the deadline further as the interim order had lapsed on November 19 itself.

Senior central government standing counsel Haja Mohideen Gisthi said now that the deadline has not been extended, the Centre would implement the digitization process in Chennai at the earliest.

Earlier, the state-owned Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Corporation Limited filed a counter-affidavit seeking extension of the deadline up to March 31, 2013. The corporation's general manager N Varadhan submitted that it was taking steps to digitize cable TV services in Chennai, and that it has already floated tenders for the purpose. Noting that the cable operators registered with the corporation have requested for about 9.4 lakh set-top boxes (STBs), he said the supplier has said they would require about 18 weeks to supply 10 lakh STBs.

"It is necessary to extend the deadline for digitization in Chennai up to March 31, 2013, due to non-availability of STBs. Extension of time was required not only for the Arasu Corporation but also for all other multi-system operators." Assailing the Centre's assessment that 11.06 lakh homes in Chennai would require STBs, the corporation said the Chennai Metropolitan Area now comprised large chunks of residential colonies in Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts as well. The area has an estimated 22 lakh homes that should be covered by the digitization scheme, the court said.

Meanwhile, the Chennai Cable Television Operators Association filed a petition amending its original prayer. Now it has questioned the validity of the central notifications dated November 11, 2011 and June 21, 2012 making digitization of cable TV services mandatory.

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Cable TV to go digital in Chennai as high court refuses relief - The Times of India

 

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Court refuses to extend deadline for DAS.
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Viewers of non-digital cable television in Chennai face the grim prospect of a screen blackout, with the Madras High Court on Thursday declining to extend the deadline for introducing compulsory digitisation in the metropolis.

When a writ petition filed by the Chennai Metro Cable TV Operators Asssociation challenging a Centre’s notification fixing the deadline and extending the last date for introducing the Digital Addressable System (DAS) came up before a Division Bench consisting of Justices Elipe Dharma Rao and S.Rajeswaran, the petitioner prayed the court for extending the deadline.

Senior Central Government Standing Counsel S.Haja Mohideen Gisthi opposed any grant of extension of time. In the order, the Bench just said, “Adjourned by four weeks.”

Originally, Justice N.Paul Vasanthakumar had extended the time limit till November 19, on which date he said that since the issue involved a larger public interest, the case should be heard by a Division Bench.

Accordingly, the matter came to be posted before a Bench headed by Justice P.P.S.Janarthana Raja, who expressed his inability to hear the case. Hence, it came up before the Bench headed by Justice Elipe Dharma Rao which on Thursday adjourned the case.

Now the ball is in the Information and Broadcasting Ministry’s court.

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The Hindu : States / Tamil Nadu : Court refuses to extend deadline for DAS

 

[chermadurai]

December 28 in court

 

[HOUSE-MD]

December 28 in court

Yes, but chennai might loose many channels by then. TRAI will ask most non tamil channels to switchoff Analogue as Madras HC didnt extend the stay, so its really a mess for chennai people.