Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 11: Chariman-cum-CEC LAHDC Kargil Feroz Khan has written to Union Minister for information & Broadcasting Anurag Thakur regarding All India Radio (AIR) Kargil Station.
“The AIR Station & the Doordarshan Kendra are located at a strategic place like Kargil. I would like to state that the AIR Kargil station was inaugurated way back in 1997, with a 1 KW transmitter, in order to counter the narrative of Radio Pakistan (Skardo & Gilgit). It was subsequently upgraded to 200 KW power transmitter in 2003. This station went on to become a favourite among Balti and Shina speakers on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC). In fact it succeeded in pushing Radio Pakistan (Skardo & Gilgit) into oblivion,” Khan said in the letter. “With a small team of local staff, (AIR) Radio (Kargil) also serves as the headquarters for four other stations and has a sanctioned post of Deputy Director General (DDG). It used to be headed by a Station Director earlier. Only recently has it come into my notice that the post of DDG has been shifted to Leh which has a 10 KW Radio Station. This is likely to hamper the smooth functioning of AIR-Kargil which caters to four major allied stations i.e. AIR-Drass, AIR-Taisun, AIR-Padurn and AIR-Hambotingla FM Station. The FM Station at Hambotingla is expected to promote local culture while simultaneously countering the anti-India narrative broadcast in Balti, Purgi and Sheena languages on Radio Pakistan from across the border, the letter said.
Khan said, recently 34 casual employees of AIR-Kargil were sacked without any explanation and notice. They had spent precious years of their youth working at the station. Owing to its strategic location, this station needs to be empowered. strengthened and nurtured. What is more important is that morning transmissions are required to be started besides relaying local programmes and online livestreaming sessions, he asserted. On the other hand the CEC said, there is an urgent need to upgrade the programme development capacity of Doordarshan. Kargil. This is one of the oldest demands of Kargil District In Kargil, the national TV Channel can play the same role as All India Radio to showcase and promote local culture while also providing employment opportunities to local youth. It will also end up strengthening India’s geo-political interests among people living across the LoC,” he added. A number of languages like Purgi, Balti and Shina are spoken in Kargil. However, the lack of content in local dialects and languages has become a cause of concern among the residents thus defeating the very purpose of establishment of stations of Doordarshan and All India Radio in Kargil. I would, therefore, like to request you to kindly look into these critical issues and direct the concerned authorities to have them resolved at the earliest, Khan said.
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