The Durgapur Steel Plant of Steel Authority of India Ltd has turned to Delhi-based Catvision Products to revamp Durgapur Steel TV (DSTV), set up in 1989 to provide information on the plant to the residents of the steel township.

DSTV, the second cable TV network of the SAIL family after Rourkela (1985), ran into bad weather as private cable operators mushroomed in the steel township. As the fledgling official system tried to expand there were alleged incidents of sabotage that led to a near-total collapse of the system in 1993.

The Rourkela system, however, is operating smoothly.

P K Niyogi, DSP's chief of communications, said Catvision will build and operate the cable TV system in DSP township for 10 years.

Catvision has promised a 19-channel system with one channel free for DSP's inhouse software, which will also include cultural programmes.

It is estimated that an investment of Rs 2 crore would be required to spread the network in the 40 sq km township of 24,000 houses.

The tie-up will give DSP the benefit of one communication channel throughout the township without any investment. SAIL will also get 5 per cent of the subscription collection as licence fee and 2.5 per cent as service charge for deducting subscription from the salaries of the employees.

Niyogi said this would translate into an annual income of Rs 6 lakh which would definitely double, if not treble, within the next two years. This would be enough to cover operational costs of DSP programmes.

Catvision has also signed an agreement with Durgapur Steel Township Cable TV Operators Association, representing 64 cable TV operators. The income from subscriptions would be shared as would be the investment.

Catvision will provide the feed for the 19-channel system via a trunk cable laid right across the township.

At Durgapur, SAIL has a well-equipped studio. Viewers will be informed, with clippings from Calcutta, Bombay, Delhi and Chennai newspapers, about what is happening in the steel sector. DSTV is catching up with recordings of dance dramas, dramas, songs, dances and other entertainment programmes in its studio.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.