Mamata Banerjee urges all state cable operators to not air riot photos

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urged officials of Multi Service Operators (MSOs) and cable operators of Kolkata and rest of the state to refrain from televising riot pictures at a meeting on Friday.

"I need a help from cable operators. I would request them not to show pictures of riots to avoid fanning of trouble. Don't think that I am saying it for myself. Even in TV serials these days we see that more often than not they show several wives of one person and many extra marital affairs. These lead to social degeneration," Mamata said while addressing the gathering at Netaji Indoor Stadium in the state capital.

She also warned the people against fake news. "Social media and even Youtube is flooded with fake news, and people are spreading canards to create an unrest between members of different communities. Films, songs and TV serials are ones own prerogative, but spreading canards cannot be spared. I have asked the police to put up community development bodies to keep a check on these incidents," she said.

She also asked all MSOs to appoint a nodal officer for Kolkata and one for each district in the state to coordinate with police in case sensitive programmes are aired.

After hearing the plight of cable operators, she also said that a lot of problems would be solved if MSOs shared part of the profit with cable operators. She said a committee would be formed headed by state Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim and would comprise other top brass Trinamool Congress (TMC) members including Malay Ghatak and Sovan Chatterjee. The committee will also have representatives of cable operators, MSOs and broadcasters.

"I would like to request broadcasters to bring down their charges from the MSOs, which in turn will help them to pass on part of the savings to the cable operators," she said.

After hearing the problems of cable operators, Mamata, announced on the spot that the 25,000 odd cable operators and their family members of the state would be included in the state government's health scheme Swastha Sathi. She also said a pension scheme for them would be initiated.