Exasperated Chennai blacks out cable operators

With their experiment proving successful, others are now emulating them. Talking of the areas which have set up their own cable operations, Sivakumaran, President, Anna Nagar Exnora, says: ‘‘They are quite happy with the free-to-air channels. No one is complaining.’’ Exnora, along with the Confederation of Cable TV Subscribers’ Association, has been encouraging residents to subscribe to free-to-air channels.

It is also putting pressure on the state and central governments to intervene. Forced to pay high fees and contend with almost half the channels because of the spat, residents say they have received enough provocation to get back at the cable operators.

Add to that the attitude of the cable operators, many of whom are known to react angrily when questioned. ‘‘Our grudge against the cable operators is justified,’’ says S. Shanthi, resident of Kodambakkam.

‘‘I’m infuriated because I’m forced to pay the same fees even when I’m not getting half the channels I love to watch. And when questioned, my cable operator has the audacity to scream at me.’’ M.B. Nirmal, Founder-Chairman, Exnora International, says instances abound of housewives and middle-class people being at the receiving end of foul behaviour.

In Kodambakkam recently, a cable operator reportedly told a housewife to fall at his feet and plead for a reconnection. She had threatened to stop his fees as she was not getting all the channels she paid for but had changed her mind when her children had urged her to compromise. Sivakumaran mentions another cable operator who filed a complaint against his customers. ‘‘He told police that he was being threatened by the Kodambakkam Cable TV Subscribers’ Association. The residents acted swiftly and convened a meeting with Exnora, and the matter was eventually sorted out with police,’’ says Sivakumaran. But after that, the residents decided to bid goodbye to their cable operator and set up their own operations.

On the backfoot for once, cable operators are confident the customer defiance will fall flat as ‘‘running operations isn’t an easy job’’. Says Kishore Kumar, President, Tamil Nadu Cable TV Operators’ Association: ‘If my customers want me to air free-to-air channels alone, I’m willing to do that. But having been in this business for 13 years, I can confidently say that it is not that simple to set up cable operations.’’