The companies which have been asked to do also include Aroon Purie-run TV Today which produces ~`Aaj Tak'.
According to senior Mandi House officials, NDTV has shot back a missive to DD stating that they are ready to pay for the uplinking charges with retrospective effect provided the national broadcaster pays for the NDTV footages used by it in its news bulletins for the same period.
Queering the pitch is the fact that in the agreement which Doordarshan has with private producers of news and current affairs programmes, there is no written mention of uplinking charges.
The understanding was that DD would be responsible for uplinking. Others who have been using this facility are APCA and ANI.
Moreover, the understanding also envisaged that both the parties concerned -- private producers and DD -- were free to use each other's television footage.
According to Mandi House sources, while NDTV has rarely used DD footages, the national broadcaster does so frequently.
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The uplinking facility are being used by private producers free of cost for over a year now.
NDTV-produced `News Tonight' has been using the facility since February 1995, while TV Today-produced `Aaj Tak' has been doing so since July last year.
Speaking to Business Standard, NDTV's general manager, Narayan Rao, confirmed that DD has asked for payment of uplinking charges with retrospective effect.
"But all issues relating to uplinking are under consideration by DD," he clarified.
A detailed questionnaire faxed to director-general of Doordarshan, K S Sarma, on Friday elicited no response and his office kept on saying that the DG was not in the office.
However, Mandi House officials confirmed that private producers who have been producing news and current affairs programmes for DD were told sometime last month to pay up for the uplinking facilities.
Private Indian broadcasters like BiTV and Asianet have recently been allowed to use the uplinking facility within the country in conjunction with DD for news feeds. The time: between 3-4.30 pm.
The VSNL charges: approximately Rs 8,000 for the first 10 minutes. Thereafter Rs 330 is charged for every minute. The rider: minimum of 10 minutes satellite time has to be booked.
Private broadcasters maintain that the uplink permission is a positive step, but the riders do not make business sense.
"Why should I pay for 10 minutes when my news feed can be sent in five minutes ?" asked a private broadcaster who anyway stands to benefit by the government move as it speeds up news collection.
Moreover, a section of officials in the information and broadcasting ministry also feel that last month's note to private producers working for DD is more aimed at NDTV than others as there was no need to ask for payment with retrospective effect.
NDTV has made public its plans to slowly phase out its news and current affairs programmes from Doordarshan Metro and start similar programmes on Rupert Murdoch-controlled Star TV.