Curtains down for regional unit of AIR Tiruchy

Exactly after an year, MIB issued orders to retain the RNU of AIR Tiruchy. It has now issued orders to shift its Assistant Director (News) and News Correspondent and scrapped these postings for the unit to indicate that the unit is to be closed soon.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting through order number 80/2017-IIS and 82/2017-IIS dated July 17 and July 18, 2017, respectively (available in the official website) has decided to move either majority or entire manpower of RNUs not just in Tiruchy but also that of Kozhikode in Kerala and Dharwad in Karnataka to either non-news unit sections or to the news units of the ministry in respective State capitals. 

Accordingly, the Assistant Director K Parameshwaran and News Correspondent Devi Padmanaban who are liable to source news to the unit have been transferred to other departments leaving their posts vacant. 

“This obviously is a first step to initiate the move to close down the unit”, said social activist Kannan alias Ramakrishnan of Sunaipugal Nallur, Tiruchy. He also said that it is an attempt to test the non-BJP ruling states or else, a first step to privatise the All India Radio,” sources claimed.  “AIR and its RNU are a pride and prestige of Tiruchy and what will India achieve on this. 

The government has a lot of things to do but instead of increasing the number of RNUs, they have targeted them,” pointed out Ramakrishnan. All India Radio, Tiruchy, was launched in 1939. In order to provide local flavour, the RNU was sanctioned to broadcast news in its Rainbow FM from 2006 and has been acclaimed as most popular among audience status.