Bangalore: AIR goes off air, first in 55 years

DHNS

Bangalore, 23 November 2010: For the first time in 55 years radio waves fell silent across the State with the All India Radio going off air on Tuesday, when all the employees of AIR went on a strike seeking a repeal of the Prasar Bharathi Act, 1990.

 

As many as five radio channels,  Akashvani Bangalore, Direct-to-Home (DTH), Vividh Bharathi and Amruthavarshini, a musical channel went off the air from 9 am.

 

In Bangalore, the usually bustling premises of the AIR witnessed a few employees discussing the future of India’s first radio channel that provided infotainment to citizens across the country. From folklore to educational programmes and from classical music to commercial programmes all went silent as the 250 personnel from the AIR station decided to join their counterparts in the 48-hour protest.

 

A V Vinod Kumar, a Programme Executive believed that this was the last and only option available with the Federations to ensure that streamlining of the workload in the AIR. “We have seen vacant posts for the past 15 years which were to be filled much earlier. The last batch of recruitment was 1994. With fewer and fewer employees it becomes increasingly tough for others to function,” he said.

 

Meanwhile, joining the cause were the Doordarshan (DD) employees who also went on strike in the State. However, DD Chandana officials said only the engineers went on strike in Bangalore and the rest of the staff discharged their duties.