AGARTALA/ KHOWAI/UDAIPUR, April 21 (TIWN): Due to complete failure of the district administration cable TV operators are simply looting the pockets cable TV viewers across. Gomati District is no such exception. Violating the TRAI's guidelines Tripureswari Satellite Link , the largest cable service provider in the Gomati District , is earning money simply befooling the people as well state gov't. Recently High Court passed an order instructing the administration as well as the cable TV operators to sell the set top boxes at prices fixed by TRAI . Soon after the HC's order some of the District Magistrate & Collectors have urged the cable TV service providers to follow TRAI guidelines while selling the set top boxes; but administration quite mysteriously didn't take any step to see that TRAI guidelines are properly followed. To befool the people and administration the cable TV service providers have pasted logos of their own brand as TSL on the set top boxes and even issued warranty cards printed by the TSL authorities.

Tripureswari Satellite Link has its consumers spreading across the entire Udaipur SubDivision as well Amarpur,  Melaghar,  and other places . 

Set top boxes are being sold at Rs 1650/- , Rs 1800/- and Rs 2150/- per set depending on the quality . But none of the Set Top Boxes has logos of manufacturers . Neither one can say whether these boxes are of Chinese products or not .

What is more interesting is that not a single customer has been issued cash memos for the sale of Set Top Box. It is to be mentioned here that the head office of TSL is located at Chhanban, less than 2 km distance from DM & Collector's Office of Gomati District. But none of the officials of the Gomati District has taken least time to see how the common people ( consumers) are being cheated by the Tripureswari Satellite Link authorities. Moreover, the quality of these boxes are so poor that such types of boxes are available in the local markets of Siliguri and Kolkata @ 400/- to @ 500/- each

 On March 5 this year Tripura High Court asked all eight District Magistrates of the state to submit affidavit against the allegation of selling set top box (STB) at exorbitant price violating the tariff fixed by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India(TRAI).

Admitting public interest litigation, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Deepak Gupta and Justice S C Das issued notice to the District Magistrates seeking reply whether there are any multi-system operators registered in the state in terms of Section 11 C of the Cable Television

 Again on March 30th verdict Chief justice of Tripura High Court Deepak Kumar Gupta and Justice Swapan Chandra Das  ordered all the Sub Divisional Magistrates (SDM) to review the quality of set-top boxes and the prices regarding.

 It is to be mentioned that 'Sristi Cable Network' of Agartala is the only registered cable TV service provider in the state with TRAI authority of  Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) . If such is the case how can Tripureswari Satelite Link sell set top boxes to its consumers with its logo ( self designed) ? Why hasn't the SDM Udaipur taken any step against them ? Why wont DM Gomati issue any order through print and electronic media to make the people aware about the rules regarding the sale of Set Top Box as already done by some of the DMs of other districts ? Who is to be held responsible for the loss of revenue suffered by the Govt due to illegal selling of set top boxes ? Why is state govt too silent over the hotly debated issue ? Why will the innocent viewers be cheated due to the negligence of administration ?

 Considering the callousness of the state gov't as well as the administration common people hope that only High Court can given them justice from this cheating imposed by the cable TV service providers like Tripureswari Satellite Link.