Emphasis On Law Against Unlicensed Channel Operators

Members of the parliamentary joint select committee on the broadcast bill yesterday urged the government to spell out whether adequate safeguards were provided in the proposed law to deal with operators of unlicensed channels in the country.

The 30-member committee, which met in New Delhi for the third consecutive day as part of its process of getting briefings from various ministries on different aspects of the bill, heard at length K Kasturirangan, secretary in the department of space and chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro).

Several members wanted to know what appropriate action was envisaged in the bill against these unlicensed channel operators who could be instrumental in beaming anti-India programmes in the country.

 

The committee chairman, Sharad Pawar, asked whether it was possible through technological means to prevent these channels from telecasting programmes which were against national interest.

Members also sought details about the type of infrastructure that was available for providing uplinking facilities to licensees approved by the proposed Broadcasting Authority of India.

Some members wanted to know whether India, like China, was in a position to jam signals beamed by the unlicensed channels. The committee decided that from June 20, both Doordarshan and All India Radio would give wide publicity to salient feature of the bill. Individuals and organisations have been asked to send their views to the committee by July.

The committee would invite some of them for a hearing before it. These hearings would take place in Mumbai, Chennai, New Delhi, Calcutta and other centres from July 15 to 18.

Clause by clause discussion of the bill is likely to take place only after July 18.

With little time left after that, it may not be possible for the committee to stick to the July 23 deadline for submission of its report to Parliament.

Pawar has indicated that efforts would be made to present the report during the monsoon session.

The bill, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha on the last day of the budget session, was immediately referred to the joint select committee which was asked to submit its report on the first day of the monsoon session.

Pawar said if required he was ready to convene special sittings of the committee even during Parliament session to complete the report as early as possible.

However, several members strongly felt that the committee should seek more time to study all aspects of the bill and asserted that such as sensitive and complex measure should not be passed in a hurry.