AIR and DDK Dibrugarh delegates meet Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal

A CORRESPONDENT

DIBRUGARH: Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal met a delegation of All India Radio (AIR) Dibrugarh and Doordarshan Kendra (DDK) Dibrugarh officials at his residence in Dibrugarh on Wednesday morning. The Union Minister interacted with the delegates and heard their various issues, including the matter of shutting down the AIR daily Assamese news bulletin from the Dibrugarh station. Prasar Bharati had discontinued the Assamese news bulletin from October 24 as per their cost-cutting policy.

The 5-minute Assamese news bulletin which was aired daily from 6 pm has been a source of information for not only the people of upper Assam but also several parts of Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland. The Union Minister also spoke to the Secretary I&B over phone and urged him to take necessary action regarding the matters discussed in the meeting.

Meanwhile on Wednesday, there were protests by the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) and the Bharatiya Gana Natya Sangha in Dibrugarh over Prasar Bharati's move to discontinue the Assamese news bulletin. The AASU members protested at the Dibrugarh Deputy Commissioner's office seeking rollback of the decision. The Bharatiya Gana Natya Sangha protested in front of the All India Radio (AIR) Dibrugarh station seeking continuation of the Assamese news bulletin.

"We are against the shutting down of the Assamese news bulletin from All India Radio, Dibrugarh. We demand the government for the continuation of the news bulletin. When the internet and TV are shut down, the only news medium is the radio. We have submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister and Prasar Bharati through Dibrugarh Deputy Commissioner Biswajit Pegu," said Dibrugarh district AASU general secretary Abani Kumar Gogoi.

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