Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 26: Calling it a conspiracy to harm the Duggar culture, Shiv Sena Jammu and Kashmir unit has strongly objected to the reported process of shutting down ‘Doordarshan Jammu’. Asserting that Doordarshan Jammu has been playing a significant role in keeping the cultural identity of Jammu alive for the last three decades
Shiv Sena has termed the move as yet another page added to the history of discrimination against Jammu region and its people.
Addressing media persons at the party State office here, today, J&K Shiv Sena State president, Manish Sahni said that the merger of Jammu Doordarshan with Kashir Channel is a big betrayal by the Government against the artists, producers, directors and last but not the least with the public of Jammu region. He informed that as per the new set up, the telecast of ‘Doordarshan Jammu’ has been reduced from the existing four and a half hours to just half an hour, out of which 15 minutes will get consumed by news telecast alone. He castigated the Government for taking such a step that would ultimately lead to unemployment of about thirty thousand artists, producers, directors and technicians associated with Dogri programmes.
Sahni alleged that all this is a well thought out conspiracy formulated to harm the Duggar culture. He said that it is really an irony that on one hand the Central Government is contemplating installation of free DTH in marginal areas, while on the other hand regional telecasting is being stopped. He said that Dogri, Hindi, Punjabi, Bhaderwahi, Gojri, Pahari and Kashmiri programmes are being telecast from this station, in which people of this region can enjoy Dogri folk songs and music, Dogri plays and serials besides 360 private producers being associated with Doordarshan Jammu.
Manish Sahni lamented that while the people of Jammu have been demanding a separate Duggar Channel for long now, on the contrary Government is snatching Jammu Doordarshan from the people of this region. He said the people of Jammu will never tolerate this discrimination and will definitely rise to the occasion and agitate to get their genuine rights that they have been deprived of for decades.
Shiv Sena, general secretary, Vikas Bakshi,, vice president, Sanjeev Kohli and Balwant Singh were also present in press conference.
Follow our WhatsApp channel