Cable operators end strike

Kathmandu, August 19:

Agitating Cable Television Struggle Committee (CTSC) today withdrew all its protest programmes after the government agreed to fulfil its demands.

“We will begin the transmission of all Nepali TV channels, that were blocked as a part of protest against the government, from 7.00 pm today,” said Dinesh Subedi, coordinator of the CTSC, following talks with the government today. Subedi said the government has agreed to formulate a separate law on cable television, issue single license and scrap the provision of additional royalty. The government has also agreed to charge only 10 per cent renewal fee

and recognise the service as any other industry.

Besides, the government has also agreed to implement the conditional Access System (CAS) in the country.

Meanwhile, advocate Somnath Sapkota moved the Supreme Court today seeking its intervention on the protest programmes launched by the cable television operators. Sapkota has claimed that the protest programme, in which the cable operators stopped supplying Nepali TV channels, violated the people’s right to information.

The Ministry of Information and Communication, the Nepal Cable TV Association are the defendants. The petitioner has demanded the apex court’s certiorari with mandamus order to the defendants against violating the people’s right to information.