HUBBALLI: Following intense opposition from prominent personalities and organisations from North Karnataka against shifting the regional news unit at Dharwad All India Radio, the Prasar Bharati on Wednesday withdrew its decision, following Union Minister Pralhad Joshi’s intervention. The Karnataka Vidyavardhaka Sangha, a Kannada organisation that spearheaded the struggle for the unification of Karnataka, led the protest against the plan to shift the unit to Bengaluru.
The Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry too had demanded that the Union government rescind its order. The decision to withdraw the order was taken a day before the Vidyavardhaka Sangha was to hold a protest.
A press note from Joshi’s office stated that following stiff opposition across North Karnataka, Joshi contacted Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw and explained to him the scope of work of the news unit and the necessity of continuing it in Dharwad. Vaishnaw then ordered that the news unit will continue in Dharwad.
On Wednesday, the Director General of the Prasar Bharati issued an order stating that with the approval of the competent authority, the order issued regarding the temporary shifting of workload from the regional news unit Dharwad to Bengaluru stands withdrawn with immediate effect.
Joshi had said the order to shift the news division, which serves as the voice of the people of North Karnataka, to Bengaluru was condemnable. The news unit has a history of 45 years, and has been performing important functions such as broadcasting morning regional news, district news bulletins, news features and coverage of Parliament and Legislative Assembly proceedings.
“The regional news division has been beneficial to the people of North Karnataka. There is concern among Akashvani listeners in this region that if the centre is shifted to Bengaluru, regional news will not receive due importance. This would result in injustice to the people here,” he stated.
The government had earlier too tried to shift the news unit, but the move was dropped after Joshi’s intervention, the press note stated. He emphasised that news divisions should be decentralised rather than centralised. The Dharwad Akashvani Centre has its own identity and strong public support, and its proposed relocation has caused disappointment among its listeners, he stated.