ITV

Tag: Guwahati

  • Assam cable ops face pole problems

    Assam cable ops face pole problems

    MUMBAI: As many as 40,000 cable operators in Assam await a final decision on the issue of monthly payment for using electric poles to lay cable wires.

     

    It was in September that the Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL) sent out its first circular, making it mandatory for cable operators in the state to pay Rs 25 per electric pole per month, with the deadline being 7 October.

     

    The APDCL notice stated that all cable wires should be removed from electric poles. It further said: “Those using poles (will have to) pay Rs 25 per pole per month for services and also comply with safety measures as notified by the board,” according to Greater Guwahati Cable TV Operators’ Association (GGCTOA) general secretary Md Iquebal Ahmed.

     

    Significantly, while 80 per cent of the electric poles are used by cable operators, the remaining 20 per cent are used by telecom and broadband operators as well as the Assam police. Close to 31,000 electricity poles are being used by cable operators in Guwahati alone.

     

    Says Ahmed: “When we received the notice, even APDCL authorities were not aware of the safety guidelines that needed to be followed. Also, we were not too happy with the amount we were asked to pay. So we requested for an extension in the deadline for complying with the notice,” and added that the GGCTOA proposed holding a meeting with the APDCL chairman to present its viewpoint.

     

    Accordingly, a meeting was held on 22 October with 12 cable operators from across Assam, the APDCL chairman and other state heads.

     

    “Through the meeting, we communicated our concern over paying the Rs 25 per pole per month to APDCL. Considering that APDCL will earn revenue from many other service providers who are using the electric poles, we requested them to lower the rate. We also proposed licensing for cable operators, which will allow only those cable operators with proper documents to be given licenses to lay down cables on electric poles,” Ahmed reveals.

     

    It is learnt the Assam-based cable operators have suggested three options for payment: one – Re 1 per pole per month; two – slab system, where a cable operator will pay Rs 500 for 50 poles with an increase of Rs 300 per additional 50 poles used and three – the Meghalaya model which uses the slab system.

     

    “The process is already in place in Meghalaya for the past six years. There was an agreement between the board and cable operators to use the pole. The agreement has been so worked out that on an average – every operator pays Rs 5-6 per pole per month. Moreover, they are also being provided electricity for Rs 50,” said Ahmed.

     

    On APDCL’s part, a committee has been constituted to decide the rate. “Though we had fixed it at Rs 25 per pole per month, after the cable operators’ association applied for a revision in rate, we are now working on the final fee that they have to pay for using the electric pole,” expresses APDCL public relations officer Chandra Mudoi.

     

    Asked about the criteria that are to be used to decide the final rate, Mudoi highlighted that the effort was on to “compare the electric pole fee from other states, like Meghalaya.”

     

    But what led to the decision levying this fee on cable operators in the first place? “The cable wires strung over electric poles can cause electrical accidents. So we asked the cable operators to remove these, which they didn’t and so we asked them to pay rent. Also, other states take money from cable operators for using electric poles. And so it makes sense for us to charge them for using electric poles without any permission or even without safety measures,” elucidates Mudoi.

     

    With the committee expected to announce the new fee in the next few weeks, Mudoi is quick to point out that: “If the operators do not agree to the new rate, we will ask them to remove the cable wires from the poles.”

     

    Meanwhile, Ahmed says: “We have tried to explain to the committee that there are smaller operators whose area of business is smaller with lesser number of subscribers. And there are the bigger operators as well. The committee cannot have equal policies for both. Though currently we are in the status quo mode, we are using the electric poles like before and await the final decision.”

     

    Will their pleas be heard or will Assam Power short circuit them?

  • Amway Opportunity Foundation celebrates Amway Children & World Service Week

    Amway Opportunity Foundation celebrates Amway Children & World Service Week

    NEW DELHI: -Amway Opportunity Foundation (AOF), the corporate social responsibility arm of Amway India, today kicked off celebrations for Children’s week, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of its “Amway One by One Campaign for Children”. Through this campaign, Amway Opportunity Foundation touches lives of over 1 lakh children across India and ten million children across the globe. In this week long celebration, AOF, in association with its 40 partner NGOs, will organize various social activities across cities including Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Hubli, Guwahati, to mention a few.

    The highlights of children’s week will include a mega health camp in Delhi, which AOF will organize in association with Mahavir International. This health camp is scheduled for November 20 to 22 and expected to benefit close to 1500 children. In Kolkata, AOF will organize a Children’s Fair which will include various activities like Quiz competition, Rally with visually-challenged children and seminars on various issues related to children.

    In Mumbai, the celebrations will include a special workshop for children and puppet show, followed by an exhibition-cum-sale of handmade products made by less privileged children. In Hubli, AOF will celebrate Children’s week with a difference by organizing a kids fashion show, in association with Fashion design institute and partner NGO Channels of Love.

    Commenting on the occasion Mr. William S. Pinckney, Chairman, Amway Opportunity Foundation, said “My heart fills with joy watching the young children getting benefitted. Amway has been one of the prominent companies in the country making a difference to the lives of the under privileged and would continue to extend its support to the society at large.”

    About Amway One by One Campaign: The Amway One by One Campaign for Children was launched in 2003, with its focus to help children in need. Amway distributors and employees have impacted 10 million lives by volunteering for hundreds of projects. They include providing kitchen facilities to help prepare nutritive meals for children in rural China, supporting welfare centers in South Korea and building homes for families in Latin America. Amway people have given life-saving immunizations to children in Africa and funded life-changing medical programs in Asia. In India, Amway’s National Project for the Visually Challenged had ensured that 85,000 school-going children, had access to Braille textbooks. 15 projects were undertaken in as many as 12 states in this project. AOF also channelized its energies in setting up 16 fully-equipped computer centres for visually challenged children in 16 cities. Under Project Sunrise, AOF joined hands with 40 partner NGOs and schools in different parts of the country and supporting them in health & education. 

    This marks the 10th anniversary of Amway’s Global One by One Campaign for Children as well as 15th anniversary of Amway Opportunity Foundation in India, and thus celebrating World Service Week with a focus on less privileged children of society.

    About Amway Opportunity Foundation (AOF): AOF is a registered non-profit organization which looks after Amway India’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and has been actively associated with several projects dedicated towards child welfare across the country. One of the biggest challenges in education of visually impaired children is to make books available in Braille, text or audio described format so that students can read themselves. Under the National Project for the Blind, AOF with its partners AICB and NAB has ensured making available Braille textbooks to over 85,000 school-going visually challenged children in 15 states. The foundation has instituted 16 computer centers for excellence across India to help visually challenged students for education using Information technology.

  • Doordarshan to telecast RBIQ this year

    Doordarshan to telecast RBIQ this year

    MUMBAI: A partnership between RBI and Doordarshan led to the production of the second edition of the quiz conducted by RBI called RBIQ. The quiz that was conducted across 4,000 schools in 42 cities saw the finals being held at the Doordarshan studio in Mumbai, the production for which was done by DD on 2 October. It has recently revamped its whole studio by making it HD friendly.

     

    The inter-school quiz was started last year to impart financial literacy to the country’s students. RBI governor Raghuram Rajan was present for the finale that saw the students of Maharshi Vidyamandir Public School of Guwahati take home the trophy. Questions asked were from the fields of banking, finance and general knowledge.

     

    The show will be telecast on DD in the coming few weeks, the date is not yet finalised. Last year, it was telecast on Zee Business. The number of students participating this year was up by 1,000.

  • HomeShop18 clocked sales of Rs. 15 Crores in a single day on 15th August

    HomeShop18 clocked sales of Rs. 15 Crores in a single day on 15th August

    NEW DELHI: HomeShop18, India’s leading virtual shopping brand touches another milestone. On this Independence Day, HomeShop18 recorded bumper sale of INR 15 crore through its three retail platforms of TV, Web and Mobile. The TV channel contributed most to this number followed by the web and mobile platforms.

     

    The categories that saw maximum sales were Apparel, Electronics, Mobile Phones and Books. Home & Kitchen and Health & Beauty were also strong contributors indicating increasing participation of women in virtual shopping. HomeShop18 observed highest buys from Delhi & NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Guwahati, Jammu, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Patna and Pune.

     

    Sundeep Malhotra, Founder & CEO, HomeShop18 commented, “Shoppers today are getting more confident about product quality, greater value & service delivery which is encouraging them to shop comfortably across TV, Web and Mobile platforms. We at HomeShop18 are witnessing an expansion in our customers’ product basket as newer product categories are getting traction too. This is a positive trend and we are strongly positioned to serve this high-growth market.”

     

    HomeShop18 is setting a benchmark in virtual shopping and making it a smarter, easier, and hassle free experience. With great products and brands in its product portfolio, HomeShop18 offers multiple payment options and free home delivery on all products. HomeShop18’s dedicated team delivers products to every corner of the country covering over 3000 locations. HomeShop18 stands for superlative quality, exceptional value and unmatched convenience.

  • CNN-IBN launches special series ‘Whose City is it Anyway?’

    CNN-IBN launches special series ‘Whose City is it Anyway?’

    MUMBAI: CNN-IBN has launched a weeklong series Whose City is it Anyway? that explores the rising threat of a clash between locals and migrants over space, jobs and other urban opportunities.

    Each day, the series delves into the inside story of the conflict between old and new in the cities that include Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Pune, Guwahati and Ludhiana.

    CNN-IBN editor-in-chief Rajdeep Sardesai said, “What has happened in Mumbai is a manifestation of the growing anger and intolerance that is taking place in all major cities across the country.

    Whose City is it Anyway? takes a city-by-city look at what is plaguing some of India’s most populous urban centres with regard to rising migration.”

  • ADAG’s Big FM radio to roll out its first phase in six metros

    ADAG’s Big FM radio to roll out its first phase in six metros

    MUMBAI: The Reliance ADA Group has finally officially announced today that it will soon launch its radio station under the brand Big FM, which will broadcast on the full powered common frequency of 92.7 across its 45 stations.

    According to an official statement, the first phase will cover the six metros of Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, later spreading to the virgin territories like Jammu, Srinagar, Aligarh and Bikaner.

    In an attempt to offer a fresh new approach to the medium, the Big FM will indulge in high amount of interactivity on the station. Adlabs Radio COO Tarun Katial points out, “We will use it as a platform for consumers, taking on issues which are word of mouth and bring listener emotions to the fore.”

    Adopting a two-pronged launch strategy, Katial says, “While the metros are ideal to establish brand recognition and recall, the other virgin markets are completely new and fresh to explore, giving us an opportunity to provide an entertainment medium to the listeners.”

    “It is our endeavor to enthrall the local audiences and build a brand that connects at the grassroots. Credibility, maturity, relevance, entertainment and aspirational are our pegs for content as a product that reaches into every home and is of relevance to every listener.”

    By early next year, Big FM will be present across India from Srinagar to Trivandrum and Surat to Guwahati. This FM radio station will have its presence in 1000 towns and 50,000 villages across India – reaching 200 million listeners, informs the statement.

    The ADAG has geared up to tap the tremendous market share that is present. This leading corporate house known for its groundbreaking success in very business that it enters, will be positioning its stations in a unique and contemporary way that appeals to more mature audiences.

    The RJs that will give Big FM the voice and personality, have been selected via a careful and selective nationwide hunt. The station will present itself in a larger than life avatar and all morning slots will boast of highly acclaimed celebrity jockeys.
    With an investment of Rs 4 billion dedicated to transmission equipment, infrastructure and licensing, the proposed network for Adlabs Radio will be the largest ever, the release states.

    The overall manpower strength will stand at 1500 employees nationwide. The IP protocol technology being utilized for Big FM has been sourced from AXIA, USA making this station amongst the first to utilize such superior gear in Asia. Extensive research on consumer tastes and moods will ensure that the content aired complements the listeners’ tastes and provides them a dynamic, interactive platform.

  • Doordarshan launches SMS based news service

    Doordarshan launches SMS based news service

    MUMBAI: Doordarshan has launched an SMS based news service, by which mobile phone users can get the top four news headlines and cricket score updates on match days of matches telecast live on Doordarshan.

    As far as All India Radio network is concerned, News on Phone Service (IVR) is already functional at Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Patna and Ahmedabad. This service is expected to be commissioned at Thiruvananthapuram and Bangalore shortly.

    Besides, this service is also expected to be launched at Raipur, Jaipur, Shimla, Lucknow, Guwahati, Imphal and Kolkata during the 10th Plan period. SMS based news service is expected to be commissioned in Delhi during the 10th Plan period.

    The information was given by minister of information and broadcasting and Parliamentary affairs, P R Dasmunsi in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.