KOLKATA: With cyclone Amphan snapping cable TV wires across the city, more than 80% of Kolkata’s cable homes are left with blank screens since Wednesday evening. It could take three-four days to restore cable connections. Operators, who have already started restoration, were staring at a financial burden of replacing the snapped cables.
Chetla resident Debjani Ghosh has been calling her cable operator frantically ever since her TV went blank during the cyclone. “I was following the news in the middle of the storm when my connection snapped. I had anticipated it and all my neighbours had the same experience. While you can’t blame anyone for this, steps should be taken to restore the connections,” she said. Kolkata has 30 lakh cable homes.
Cable operators across the city had a tough time assessing the damage and gathering the snapped wires. Some have already started installing new cables. But the job is turning out to be difficult with lamp posts and trees that support the cables having collapsed. “Unless trees are removed and the posts erected, cables can’t be mounted on them. Also, with the lockdown still on, we don’t have enough people to do the job quickly,” said Tapash Das of the Ideal Cable TV operators’ Association.
The association has started replacing cables in Bhowanipore and Harish Mukherjee Road. Restoration has begun in Tollygunge, Alipore, New Alipore and Chetla, too. But operators are wary of the cost of restoration that could be as much as Rs 500 for each subscriber. “Our earnings have been squeezed by the a la carte system that came into effect last year. We can’t afford to bear any extra cost and this burden will hit us hard,” said Das.
Some operators said that replacing the wires will not bring the transmission back since cables carrying the MSO feed have also snapped. MSOs, on the other hand, said they have started repairs, too. SitiCable said 80% of the connections will be restored by Friday. “We hope to be able to resume the feed in 24 hours,” said director Suresh Sethia.
Chetla resident Debjani Ghosh has been calling her cable operator frantically ever since her TV went blank during the cyclone. “I was following the news in the middle of the storm when my connection snapped. I had anticipated it and all my neighbours had the same experience. While you can’t blame anyone for this, steps should be taken to restore the connections,” she said. Kolkata has 30 lakh cable homes.
Cable operators across the city had a tough time assessing the damage and gathering the snapped wires. Some have already started installing new cables. But the job is turning out to be difficult with lamp posts and trees that support the cables having collapsed. “Unless trees are removed and the posts erected, cables can’t be mounted on them. Also, with the lockdown still on, we don’t have enough people to do the job quickly,” said Tapash Das of the Ideal Cable TV operators’ Association.
The association has started replacing cables in Bhowanipore and Harish Mukherjee Road. Restoration has begun in Tollygunge, Alipore, New Alipore and Chetla, too. But operators are wary of the cost of restoration that could be as much as Rs 500 for each subscriber. “Our earnings have been squeezed by the a la carte system that came into effect last year. We can’t afford to bear any extra cost and this burden will hit us hard,” said Das.
Some operators said that replacing the wires will not bring the transmission back since cables carrying the MSO feed have also snapped. MSOs, on the other hand, said they have started repairs, too. SitiCable said 80% of the connections will be restored by Friday. “We hope to be able to resume the feed in 24 hours,” said director Suresh Sethia.
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