The committee should be comprised of officials from the information ministry, finance ministry and commerce ministry and Coab representatives, it said.

The Coab leaders made the call at the launching ceremony of online survey of cable television viewers at Dhaka Reporters' Unity auditorium. Bangladesh Cable TV Viewers Forum (BCTVF) organised the programme.

President of National Press Club Shawkat Mahmud formally opened the online survey.

The Coab leaders demanded proper implementation of Cable TV Operation Rules 2006, which require the cable operators to offer channels to subscribers as per their demands and charge them on the basis of number of channels.

Coab Secretary General Nizamuddin Masud called for a ban on transmission of two Indian channels -- Zee Bangla and ETV Bangla -- arguing that when Indian cable operators do not downlink free Bangladeshi channels, why downlinking of their channels would be permitted in Bangladesh.

He said the results of the survey of cable television viewers would help them get an idea of which channels the viewers want to watch, making it easier for cable operators to offer channels of viewers' choice.

General Secretary of BCTVF Ahmed Feroz also spoke at the programme.