NEW DELHI: Even as the government has been claiming for several years that it is giving priority to strengthen its communication towers on the borders to strengthen its signals, the Home Ministry and Prasar Bharati have admitted that the signals/coverage of Pakistan TV is available in the bordering districts of the country.
However, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar told Parliament that ‘no complaints have been received during the last three years regarding telecast of Pakistan TV in the bordering districts of the country.’
He said strengthening of TV coverage of Doordarshan to counter the anti-India propaganda along border areas is an ongoing process. Doordarshan has been assigning priority for expansion of its coverage in the border areas of the country in various expansion plans formulated from time to time. Special packages for expansion and improvement of Doordarshan services in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) have also been implemented in the past.
At present, Prasar Bharati has informed that 112 TV transmitters of varying power are functioning in the districts near the Pakistan border.
Javadekar said that to further strengthen TV coverage in J&K, a scheme was approved in the 11th Plan which includes projects of establishment of five high power TV transmitters in J&K (Kashmir region- 1; Jammu region-1; Ladakh region-1 besides 2 high power transmitters at Rajouri).
These projects are expected to be completed in phases, in about two years, he added.
Meanwhile, DD sources told indiantelevision.com that all areas uncovered by terrestrial transmitters in border areas along with the rest of the country have been provided with multichannel television coverage through Doordarshan’s free-to-air direct-to-home platform Free Dish which can be received anywhere in the country with small sized dish receiver units.
However, All India Radio and DD terrestrial coverage in the border areas in Jammu and Kashmir is being strengthened with an outlay of Rs 1 billion in the 11th Plan.
A total of 273 TV transmitters of varying power are presently functioning in the border areas all over the country, DD sources told indiantelevision.com
