Chinese radio blares in Arunachal Pradesh
Televisionpoint.com Correspondent
In the 60th year of India's independence, there are still places where AIR and Doordarshan can't reach out to people. If you thought that was bad, wait: People in border districts of Arunachal Pradesh have easier access to Chinese radio and TV than Indian.
Such an occurrence in a state that shares international borders China, Bhutan and Myanmar raises serious questions about the priority that the Centre gives to a strategically crucial state.
The two national broadcasters, Doordarshan and AIR, are confined to the capital Itanagar and the district headquarters, as there are no any relay centres beyond these hubs.
AIR's problems are worsened by the fact that Chinese radio is far more effective in these areas. As a result, border villagers are accessing information and entertainment from Chinese radio with greater efficacy than AIR.
"There is no question of Chinese transmitters jamming AIR programmes; the problem lies with AIR's weak transmission system in the state. If you go to border areas, one can listen to Chinese radio more clearly than AIR,'' said an official of the state government.
After the Sino-India war in 1962, the Union government had distributed free radio sets to community centres across Arunachal. AIR programmes together with Hindi film music have been popular since then. But around 1965, the distribution of free radio sets was stopped.
Interestingly, whereas Hindi isn't popular in the rest of northeast, the national language is the lingua franca of many Arunachalee tribes. The Arunachal Pradesh assembly is conducted in Hindi and English, unlike other northeastern states where regional languages are popular. It is the only state outside the Hindi belt to use the language extensively.
Prasar Bharati is trying to set up FM radio transmitters and studios in the Northeast at a cost of Rs 164 crore within a span of three years. For seven Northeastern states, 1 kw FM transmitter will be installed in 19 places at the cost of Rs 64 crore. There are plans to set up about 100 FM transmitters between 50 and 100 watts in far-flung areas which are generally not reachable by road.
In the 60th year of India's independence, there are still places where AIR and Doordarshan can't reach out to people. If you thought that was bad, wait: People in border districts of Arunachal Pradesh have easier access to Chinese radio and TV than Indian.
Such an occurrence in a state that shares international borders China, Bhutan and Myanmar raises serious questions about the priority that the Centre gives to a strategically crucial state.
The two national broadcasters, Doordarshan and AIR, are confined to the capital Itanagar and the district headquarters, as there are no any relay centres beyond these hubs.
AIR's problems are worsened by the fact that Chinese radio is far more effective in these areas. As a result, border villagers are accessing information and entertainment from Chinese radio with greater efficacy than AIR.
"There is no question of Chinese transmitters jamming AIR programmes; the problem lies with AIR's weak transmission system in the state. If you go to border areas, one can listen to Chinese radio more clearly than AIR,'' said an official of the state government.
After the Sino-India war in 1962, the Union government had distributed free radio sets to community centres across Arunachal. AIR programmes together with Hindi film music have been popular since then. But around 1965, the distribution of free radio sets was stopped.
Interestingly, whereas Hindi isn't popular in the rest of northeast, the national language is the lingua franca of many Arunachalee tribes. The Arunachal Pradesh assembly is conducted in Hindi and English, unlike other northeastern states where regional languages are popular. It is the only state outside the Hindi belt to use the language extensively.
Prasar Bharati is trying to set up FM radio transmitters and studios in the Northeast at a cost of Rs 164 crore within a span of three years. For seven Northeastern states, 1 kw FM transmitter will be installed in 19 places at the cost of Rs 64 crore. There are plans to set up about 100 FM transmitters between 50 and 100 watts in far-flung areas which are generally not reachable by road.
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