Officials here regard the ban as impracticable. First, certain PTV programmes, like their plays, have always been popular here. Besides, the quality of PTV reception has always been good. On the other hand, the 10 KW Doordarshan transmitter at Samatra village, 25 km from here, has a limited reach.

Further, the government ban only prohibits cable operators from showing PTV. In fact, the state government's order, as received here, makes no mention of PTV. It only says that stern action should be initiated against those who indulge in anti-India propaganda. ``We do not know why this is so. But even if PTV was included, it wouldn't mean anything, unless you can control the airwaves,'' an official remarked.

Says Hasmukh Patel, vice-president of Lakhapat taluka panchayat, which is bang on the border, ``Ninety per cent people in my area regularly watch PTV. The reception is excellent and you don't need a booster.'' The taluka has 90 revenue villages and 10 hamlets. Inquiries revealed that PTV reception is good in almost all parts of the district.

Even in Bhuj, the district headquarters, which is far away from the border, one could watch the programmes of the Karachi station of PTV on Thursday. The station telecasts regional programmes in Sindhi and relays the national PTV programme in Urdu.

The PTV Khabarnama (news bulletin) last night devoted the first 15 minutes to Kargil and the next 15 minutes to the cyclone-hit Thatha area of Sindh province of Pakistan, adjoining Kutch.

It said that Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaj Sharief was on his fifth visit to the area. Sharief was shown sitting cross-legged on a dusty floor, talking to the affected people about relief work.

The picture was clear and the sound perfect. On the other hand, the reception from the Doordarshan relays centre, only 25 kilometres from here, was poor. Doordarshan officials say that the quality of their reception would improve after the proposed 1,000-feet transmission tower, which would be the third tallest in the country, was ready in July. But an officer said the tower may only help expand the reach by about 10 per cent, not the quality. At present, Doordarshan programmes can be seen only in a 40 kilometre radius of the existing tower.

PTV viewing is not limited to homes. It is freely watched even on government-owned TV sets, which were installed in border villages to counter the PTV. The Rural Broadcasting Department, now part of the Directorate of Information, had installed 760-odd TV sets in the borders villages in the late eighties and early nineties.

Many of these TVs were provided with dish antennas so that they could receive Doordarshan programmes directly from the satellite. Over the years, the aluminum dish antennas got damaged because of humid climate and high salinity, but were not repaired or replaced. So, the people watch PTV, for which all they need is a normal antenna.

The popularity of PTV can be gauged from the fact that in border villages children can often be seen reciting commercial jingles telecast on PTV and the people are familiar with the names of Pakistani politicians and TV artistes.