HC directs cable operators to pay 20% dues to Power dept

PANAJI 
The High Court of Bombay at Goa has directed cable operators to pay 20 per cent of their arrears to the Electricity Department, only after which their applications for licence renewal will be considered.

The Court’s directive came during the hearing of a writ petition filed by the Goa Cable TV Networking and Service Providers Association, which sought relief against the Electricity Department’s drive to disconnect cables hanging from electric poles. The Bench has also sought clarity from both the association and the government on the total number of cable operators.

“Each operator with pending dues must clear 20 per cent of their arrears. Their applications will be taken up/ considered for renewal only thereafter,” the Bench stated during the hearing on Thursday.

Advocate General Devidas Pangam informed the court that, according to government records, there are 223 cable service providers. However, this figure does not match the association’s claim submitted to the Court.

To this, the Bench has asked for a clear count of total operators and the exact amount of arrears owed by each. The matter has been adjourned for Monday when the petition is expected for disposal.

It is also learnt that the Court initially sought a 50 per cent payment of arrears but later reduced it to 20 per cent during the hearing itself.

In their writ petition, the association stated that some members had previously applied for licences under the Goa Telecom Infrastructure Policy 2020 to use public infrastructure for laying cables. They claimed that despite their willingness to comply with the policy and pay the requisite fees, the Electricity Department (Respondent No. 2) failed to process their applications.

The petitioners further stated that around 240 cable television operators in Goa rely on their income from providing digital cable TV and broadband services. According to them, there are about 1.5 lakh digital cable television users across the State.