Mumbai: New Delhi Television (NDTV), promoted by Prannoy Roy, which is readying to go live from 1 April 2003, is said to be opening a large Mumbai bureau, in fact as big as its New Delhi bureau.

NDTV is also understood to have increased its staff strength from the current 45 to almost 100 in Mumbai and is transferring a large number its prominent reporters and TV anchors to Mumbai.

Srinivasan Jain will be heading the Mumbai operations while Abhigyan Prakash, Shivnath Thukral, Nikhunj Dalmia, Barnali Mukherjee, Radhika Bordia and Sonia Verma have been relocated to Mumbai.

NDTV plans to directly telecast specialised bulletins throughout the day from Mumbai which will later be encapsulated in two prime-time newscasts, one in Hindi and the other in English.

Also NDTV will telecast daily business news including stock market specials, a metro show, a crime watch, and entertainment and Bollywood news from Mumbai.

Industry sources say the focus on Mumbai is meant to take on Star News channel, which will also start beaming programmes from 1 April. Star News has shifted its focus to Mumbai and has made Mumbai its headquarters for news.

While this reflects on the growing importance of Mumbai as a city parallel to New Delhi, it also speaks volumes about the growing importance of privately owned business and the financial sector for ordinary citizens.