President’s special support for Maharaja?

President Maithripala Sirisena has reportedly granted a direct-to-home (DTH) television license and nine UHF frequencies to Capital Maharaja Organization Ltd., owned by Raja Mahendran (Killi Maharaja)

It is rumoured that the 09 UHF frequencies have been granted over the direct intervention of the President.

Rumours further cite that on an order given over the phone on last Vesak day, the director general of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission had officially given the frequencies on May 22.

The frequencies given are 34, 51, 53, 54, 58 and 59, Matugama CH 51 and CH 58, Kilinochchi CH 51 and CH 53, Gammaduwa CH 53, Ratnapura CH 54, Gongala CH 53, Hantana CH 34 and Nuwara Eliya CH 59.

Our attempts to contact TRC director general M.M. Zuhair were unsuccessful, as he was at a meeting.

Later, we reached a deputy director, but he said he was unaware of the granting of these frequencies, and asked us to speak to the director (frequency management).

He too, was out of reach.

However, another Director claimed that none as such had happened so far.

Meanwhile, a meeting was due to take place from 11.00 am on Wednesday, chaired by the TRC DG, of top officials of companies that own television frequencies.

Capital Maharaja was represented by group directress Nedra Weerasinghe.

She had arrived at 10.55, and accusing the TRC DG of lateness, she left at 11.05, saying ‘time is time,’ reports reaching SLM add.

-Sri Lanka Mirror