Cable TV digitization: Bihar govt to seek deadline extension

PATNAIPRDBiharprogrammePatnaIPRDBrajeshMehrotraMSOsDarshPvtSITIMauryaCablenetPvtWhile the MSOs had requested for an extension of two to three months, IPRD, in view of public interest, has decided to ask for 45 days extension. "However, Brajesh Mehrotra wants us to ensure 100% digitization within these 45 days," said Rajnish Kumar Dixit, co-director of SITI Maurya Cablenet Pvt. Ltd. Meanwhile, those who have cable TV connection of SITI Maurya Cablenet will have some relief, as it has decided to continue the analogue signals. But Darsh Digital Network Pvt Ltd, which had stopped the signals after the midnight of March 31, has decided to wait for further notification from the Centre. Till March 31, only 35% of households in the city were digitized. The demand for additional Set-top boxes (STBs) in the city is estimated to be around 2 to 2.5 lakh. Ranjit Kumar Dixit told TOI by first half of April, he will have a stock of 60,000 STBs. However, Nilesh Kumar Sinha, one of the directors of Darsh Digital Network Pvt Ltd said they were not running short of STBs. In fact, he attributed the lack of public enthusiasm to this programme behind the slow digitization process. But sources in SITI Maurya Cablenet said lower supplies of STBS from China was a bottleneck in the digitization process.