MP objects to reducing broadcast time of AIR Dharmapuri

Member of Parliament for Dharmapuri S. Senthilkumar has written to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting objecting to the proposal to reduce the broadcast time of AIR Dharmapuri.

“It is brought to my notice that AIR Dharmapuri has been instructed to reduce its broadcast time to 4 hours a day, which is highly arbitrary and against the mandate of public service broadcasting,” Mr. Senthil Kumar has stated in a letter to Union Minister of State of Information and broadcasting L. Murugan.

The MP sought the intervention of the Minister to maintain the status quo and improve the reach of the station to the blocks of Harur and Paapireddipatti.

All India Radio, Dharmapuri, was a major source of information for people of Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Thirupathur and Salem districts. “In 2019, upon my intervention, the AIR Dharmapuri had started broadcast from 5 p.m to 11 p.m.,” the MP said. The station gained immense popularity especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, he added.

Mr. Senthilkumar stated that the continued public patronage to this station helped it garner a revenue of ₹60 lakh last year, which was comparatively higher than many other urban centre stations of AIR. The Hindu