Chandigarh The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today urged the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to review its decision to close down Punjabi news bulletins from its Delhi and Chandigarh centers, stating these bulletins were targeting a large number of Punjabi population and should be continued in the public interest.
In a statement here, senior SAD leader Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said the abrupt decision of Prasar Bharti to close the Punjabi news bulletins broadcast from Delhi and Chandigarh had shocked Punjabis living in both cities who were in favour of the continuation of the bulletins.
“Discontinuing these bulletins will rob Punjabis of the opportunity to be abreast with news events both in the national capital as well as the State capital”.
Dr Daljit Cheema said the decision to discontinue Punjabi news bulletins from Chandigarh was also discriminatory against Punjab as it further reduced Punjab’s right over Chandigarh. “This is another decision in the long list of recent actions aimed at diluting Punjab’s claim over its State capital”.
Giving details, Dr Cheema said two news bulletins as well as a weekly roundup were broadcast in Punjabi from Chandigarh. He said Prasar Bharti had directed that staff engaged in this exercise along with the staff engaged in producing Punjabi bulletins in Delhi be transferred to the Doordarshan Kendra in Jalandhar. Dr Cheema said this was bound to reduce the quality of the Punjabi bulletins as presently Punjabi news reporters from both Delhi and Chandigarh were giving firsthand accounts of important developments at both the national capital as well as from Chandigarh.
“Institutional coverage like that of parliament, Supreme Court and ministries in Delhi, as well as that of the Vidhan Sabha and the High Court, is bound to suffer due to this step”.
Dr. Cheema said the move would also adversely affect the staff which was handling these bulletins in Delhi and Chandigarh. He said even as the news bulletins of Punjabi language were being shifted out from Delhi and Chandigarh, the Hisar regional news bulletin was being transferred from Hisar to Chandigarh.
Calling for an immediate rollback of this anti-Punjabi decision, Dr Cheema said “the goal of Prasar Bharti is to create inclusiveness. This should be maintained and there should not be any discrimination against Punjabi news bulletins which should continue to be broadcast from both the national capital and here”.