PWD Minister assures small and medium newspapers of positive action

From Our Correspondent    

Silchar, Feb 16: The decision of the Director of Information and Public Relations, Government of Assam, not to provide advertisements to the small and medium newspapers of Barak Valley has put the publishers of the small and medium newspapers in severe fincial crunch, crises and hardship. In this regard, members of Barak Valley Small and Medium Newspapers Association, Silchar, met Parimal Suklabaidya, Minister for PWD, Fisheries and Excise, at Circuit House, Silchar on Thursday evening. They also submitted a memorandum to the Minister who assured that he would soon take up the matter with the Chief Minister of Assam, Sarbanda Sonowal.

It has been stated in the memorandum that how small and medium newspapers suffer without proper patroge and fincial aid and assistance through advertisements. The continuation of such newspapers is at stake now. The decision of the DIPR, Assam, has been in effect from January 1, 2018. This has sent waves of shock to the publishers of these small and medium newspapers and now they are at a loss to comprehend how they will continue with the publication of their newspapers. Their newspapers have also been deprived of any advertisements from commercial and business houses. It is to be noted that they have no other fincial support other than that of DIPR’s advertisements for continuation of their newspapers.

It was further decided in the meeting that those newspapers which have applied for DIPR registration after fulfilling all the requisite formalities, there cases may be considered sympathetically by the government. The members urged that the DIPR should revise and reconsider his decision and issue advertisements to them so as to eble them to survive and sustain in this competitive world of media and jourlism. A copy of the memorandum, signed by Sat Kumar Koiri, president and Debal Adhikari, general secretary of the association and  Partha Bhattacharjee, publisher of Bartalipi, has been addressed to the Director of Information and Public Relations, Guwahati, Assam. Among others present at the meeting included Sat Kumar Koiri, Debal Adhikari, Meghth Kar, Jawaharlal Pandey and Taz Uddin Barbhuiyan.