According to officials, the move was triggered by the official ban on Pakistan Television in the thick of the Kargil conflict and a directive from the state government for a check on pornographic films in cinemas and video networks.

Though neither of the two orders mentioned FTV, sources said the Vadodara administration had ``borrowed'' the essence of the two orders and urged cable operators at a recent meeting to refrain from showing ``vulgar films and shows, including Fashion TV''.

Last week's order, which came along with the warning that cable operators would risk losing their registrations and licenses if they persisted with such shows, has predictably got the local operators'back up, especially since there are no parallel orders anywhere else in the State.

Prominent control room managers condemned the decision, maintaining that FTV shows were not ``vulgar''. ``Other channels are far more so'', they said.

Interestingly, the Gandhinagar authorities, too, said there were no specific instructions against FTV, maintaining that a ban was not practical ``since it's free to air, which means any dish antenna can access it''.

State Deputy Commissioner (Entertainment Tax) K L Bachani, on being contacted, said while he himself did not support ``vulgar shows'' and he would have to examine the Vadodara administration's stand on the issue, since the ban should be uniform.

Local entertainment tax department head Yogesh Dave and District collector Anil Mukim, however, said there was no way FTV could be aired in Vadodara. ``We have to obey Gandhinagar instructions, which prohibit vulgar shows. And FTV is that'', Dave said.

Mukim warned that if operators continued to air the channel, theadministration could register cases against them, or even cancel their licenses.

However, the administration's decision has outraged the artists and designers. Artist Bhupen Khakkar said vulgarity was rampant in the Hindi masala films, but such checks on TV were unnecessary. Sunanda Phadke, head of the Department of Clothing and Textile at MSU, said that while some sequences on FTV may be objectionable, ``knowledge about fashion can be gleaned only on this channel''.

Artist Jayanti Rabaria, who said there was much for students and artists to learn about aesthetics and art from such shows, felt that there was ``far more vulgarity on the net or in books''. Sculptor Mayur Gupta remarked, ``Such shows teach people what to wear, when to wear and where to wear what. Are people so foolish that they'll be taken in by such scenes? And do the officials really think such checks will stop people from seeing what they want?''