Guwahati

DD Assam Producers Stage Protest, Demand Rs 100 Cr Fund for New Programmes

Legal Advisor to Assam CM, Shantanu Bharali met the protesters and said that their concerns and issues would be conveyed to the Chief Minister and the Centre

Sentinel Digital Desk

Guwahati: Members of Producers' Council, an association of producers of films and TV staged a protest on Friday outside the Doordarshan Kendra, Guwahati premises. The protest was staged demanding special funds amounting to Rs 100 crore for creation of new content for DD Assam, the 24x7 satellite channel which was launched recently.

Legal Advisor to Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Shantanu Bharali met the protesting members of Producers' Council and said that their issues and concerns would be conveyed to the Chief Minister and to the Central government as Doordarshan is part of Prasar Bharati, a body formed by an Act of Parliament.

Taking part in the protest, producers and artistes who are working as staff of DD Assam said that the channel was launched without any proper funding for the content creation.

The protesting members said that a 24x7 satellite channel needs at least eight-hour content per day. Now the producers are managing with content which has already been telecast earlier. They said that it is getting difficult to run the channel with "repeat telecast of old programmes produced long before which degrades the meaning of promoting DDK Guwahati to a full-fledged 24x7 Assamese Satellite Channel".

The producers suggested that funds can be allocated in a manner similar to what has been done for DD Arunprabha, Arunachal Pradesh.