Stir forces revocation of order to shift Dharwad AIR news unit to Bengaluru

Dharwad: Akashvani deputy director general (policy) Jitendra Singh Katara has withdrawn an order issued regarding the temporary shifting of workload from the regional news unit (RNU) of Dharwad to the RNU of Bengaluru with immediate effect.

The order, issued on April 17, regarding the temporary shifting of Dharwad RNU had drawn criticism from various sections of society.

Opposing the order, the Karnataka Navnirman Sena (KNS) district unit had staged a protest in front of the All India Radio station here. The protesters had demanded that the decision to shift the RNU should be dropped.

They had said the Dharwad Akashvani had served as the voice of the north Karnataka region for decades, and shifting its news division would damage the region’s cultural identity. They had warned of intensifying the agitation if the order was not revoked. 

A meeting held at the Karnataka Vidyavardhaka Sangha in Dharwad on Tuesday had decided on staging a protest on April 23, demanding the withdrawal of the order to relocate the RNU of Dharwad Akashvani.

It was decided to hold a protest march from the Vidyavardhaka Sangha premises to the Akashvani Dharwad station on April 23, followed by a sit-in demonstration in front of the station.

The meeting had also resolved to submit memoranda to MPs and MLAs from districts in North Karnataka, urging them to exert pressure on the Union government to revoke the order. 

Participants in the meeting said Akashvani Dharwad was a symbol of the identity of this region and carried distinct regional characteristics. Akashvani’s news broadcasts remain vital for rural areas. 

C U Bellakki, Mahadev Horatti, Satish Parvatikar, Shivashankar Hiremath, Uday Yandigeri, K H Nayak, Prakash Sunagar, M M Chikkamath, Prema Naduvinamani, Ninganna Kunti, Veeranna Pattar, Dr Lingaraj Angadi, S M Shivaprasad and Dr Lohith Naikar and C S Patil spoke on the occasion.

Karnataka Vidyavardhaka Sangha president Chandrakant Bellad, vice-president Sanjeev Kulkarni and others were present.