Following the directions of Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar to form State and district level monitoring committee, lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung has constituted a committee to regulate and monitor cable TV network in the national Capital.
Principal Secretary (Home) would head the State level monitoring committee while Deputy Commissioners in each district would head the district level committee. The monitoring committee will help in keeping a track of cable operators and regulate the provisions of the Cable TV Network (Regulation) Act 1995 and rules framed there under. Earlier, Excise Department was the nodal department for this purpose and sub divisional magistrates were authorised to keep track on the implementation of cable TV network in their jurisdiction. It is noted that Delhi has not constituted State and district level monitoring committee for cable TV network. There are 2,406 cable operators in the national Capital.
“The district level committees would be headed by the Deputy Commissioners and the State level committee would be headed by Principal Secretary (Home). However, it seems that the committees were never constituted,” said Nutan Guha Biswas, Principal Secretary to lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung in her letter. Earlier, Union I&B Minister Prakash Javadekar in his letter to lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung asked to set up State and district level monitoring committee to enforce the provisions of the Cable TV Network (Regulation) Act 1995 and its rules framed thereunder.
“The Ministry has not been informed about setting up of the State level monitoring committee in your State (Delhi) yet. I therefore request you to kindly instruct the concerned to constitute the State level monitoring committee and district level monitoring committees in those districts where it has not been constituted so far, under intimation to this Ministry,” the letter said.
Meanwhile Cable Operators Federation of India (COFI) founder president Roop Sharma has criticised the move, said that there is no need to constitute district level committee as Sub-Divisional Magistrates (SDMs) have already authorised to keep track on cable operators in Delhi. “The main objective of this move is keep regulate and control content of cable TV network. If the Government wants to regulate content, it should bring a Broadcaster Bill,” Sharma said. The Cable TV Network (Regulation) Act 1995 has mandate a compulsory registration for cable operators to keep track on cable operators.