People's Democracy

(Weekly Organ of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)

Vol. XXVIII

No. 49

December 05, 2004

Prasar Bharati Employees On Agitational Path

 

AS part of the series of agitational programmes to achieve their demands, employees of Prasar Bharati organised a day long dharna in front of Akashwani Bhawan, New Delhi on November 30.

 

The agitation is being carried on under the banner of National Federation of Akashwani and Doordarshan employees (NFADE), an umbrella organisation of 21 service associations of AIR and DD. The dharna was supported by central trade unions – CITU and AITUC. Chittabrata Majumdar, general secretary of CITU and Gurudas Dasgupta, general secretary of AITUC addressing the protestors.

 

Among the political leaders who also addressed the gathering were D Raja, CPI secretary, Nilotpal Basu, CPI(M) leader in Rajya Sabha and Ajay Maken, Congress(I) MP and member of standing committee on IT and I&B ministry. They assured the employees that their issues would be raised in the forthcoming winter session of parliament.

 

The Prasar Bharati employees are disenchanted with the way the Prasar Bharati Act has been implemented so far. Employees have a complaint that instead of autonomy they have been provided with a mere change in management structure. They are demanding the restoration of facilities they were getting prior to the formation of corporation. More importantly, they have started a campaign for amending the Prasar Bharati Act, so that the public broadcaster is fully financed through the Consolidated Fund of India, just like autonomous Constitutional bodies like UPSC, Supreme Court of India, Election Commission etc.

 

Rabin Dasgupta, chairman NFADE, in his speech emphasised that in the present set up, the status of AIR and Doordarshan has been plunged into an uncertainty and government should take necessary steps to consolidate these organisations. He demanded that uncertainly about the status of employees be removed immediately and benefits of government service to Akashwani and Doordarshan employees be restored. In this context NFADE has already submitted a memorandum to the prime minister. The dharna was called off at 1700 hrs with the announcement that: