Staff Correspondent: Dhaka, Sept-30,
Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud today said mobile courts will be conducted to implement ad-free (clean feed) broadcasting of foreign TV channels from October 1.
"We will conduct mobile courts from October 1 all over the country. The concerned channel downlink distributors and cable operators will be responsible if they don't obey the law and actions would be taken against them," he told newsmen at the meeting room of his ministry at Secretariat here.
The minister said that tough actions would be taken for operating unapproved TV through video streaming on the internet, screening illegal films and advertisements through cable networks, and running cable networks without a license.
"We have informed the concerned authorities who got the approval of foreign TV channel downlink that actions would be taken from October 1. They delayed again and again and wasted time . . . it cannot continue," he added.
He said no one can run foreign TV channels without clean feed in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Pakistan. "I informed the matter of implementing clean feed broadcasting to my Indian counterpart during my recent visit to India," said Hasan, also Awami League joint general secretary.
Replying to a query about closing some online news portals suddenly, the minister said it was a misunderstanding and it was solved immediately. In fact, closing online news portals and giving licenses are a continuous process, he added.
He said it is a continuous process to close the news portals which are not performing their jobs appropriately and publishing untrue and false news and spreading rumors for assassinating characters of others.
"A list will be provided to BTRC soon. At the same time, we will present the issue before the court that it is an ongoing process and registration is going on through a process. We will also tell the court that how many rations it would be to shut all the news portals together without scrutiny should be reviewed," he added.
Replying to another query over BNP's demand, the minister said no caretaker government will be formed in Bangladesh. There is no scope of the caretaker government in the constitution and the polls will be held as per the constitution, he added.
Hasan said the present government will perform duties during the parliamentary election as the election-time government as per Bangladesh's constitution and the polls will be held under the Election Commission.
He said BNP is talking like these in the last 12 and a half years. Boycotting elections is a suicidal decision for those who rely on the people's vote and mandate, he added.
Earlier, the minister unveiled the cover of the book "Unnyane Ujjibone Sheikh Hasina" edited by journalist Swomithra Deb'
Hasan congratulated the editor and said Bangabandhu's daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is an example of surprising leadership. Bangladesh is marching forward under the dynamic and farsighted leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, he added.
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