By News Agency of Kashmir
Srinagar : The Prasar Bharti Broadcasting Corporation of India (PBBCI), an autonomous body which looks after All India Radio and Doordarshan in the country, has landed itself in a big controversy by canceling the transfer orders of a broadcaster serving in Jammu and Kashmir out of a huge list of broadcasters from all the regions of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh who had been transferred to various parts of the country few months ago.
The All Kashmir Broadcasters Association (AKBA), Srinagar, Kashmir, an organization of broadcasters working in Kashmir, in a meeting convened here today, alleged that PBBCI had succumbed to the Pex in question who possess journalistic background and was working with a Jammu-based English newspaper for the past 17 years till recently. The press release said.
While all the Programme Executive and Transmission Executives working in various stations of Jammu and Kashmir were forced to join their respective places of posting, including a big number of prominent broadcasters from Kashmir valley after their transfer few months ago,
the posting orders of this Pex was cancelled by PBBCCI citing that “his transfer was being canceled in public interest’.
“We fail to understand what this ‘public interest’ is. We are eminent broadcasters of Kashmir who have given our lives to Radio Kashmir Srinagar and worked even in toughest times of conflict. But now we have been forced to go to far off places where we even do not feel
safe. But such blue eyes boys of PBBCI as this Pex working in Radio Kashmir Jammu not only managed to get his posting cancelled after few months, but also on the grounds of ‘public interest’, the meeting observed.
The AKBA members said that it would have been better in “public interest” to serve in Radio Kashmir Srinagar where the Pex was transferred, as the region was full of news stories from the war ravaged region and he would have really worked in “public interest” in valley digging out some good themes and stories from the region.
“By getting his first posting in past 17 years cancelled in ‘public interest”, the PBBCCI has clearly shown us that how discriminatory attitude it has towards Kashmiris,’ alleged the members adding that under PBBCI rules, one has to be ready to be posted anywhere in the
country.
The meeting urged the PBBCI to revoke the orders of this cancellation or also revoke all over recent transfers in Radio from entire state otherwise, they said, they would be forced to knock the doors of Court to seek justice.