GUWAHATI, June 27 � The Television Producers� Guild, NE � an organization of empanelled producers of the region, today urged the government to commission the 24-hour Assamese TV channel at the earliest possible.
Ruing delay in the launch of Brahmaputra channel � a project taken up in 1997, the producers� body said that the process must be accelerated so that the people can have a 24-hour channel, exclusively airing Assamese programmes, and the programme producers, directors, technicians and artistes also get a good opportunity to show their talent, as the slot given to them in the North East Channel is not sufficient.
�The project was announced when Sushma Swaraj was the Union Information and Broadcasting Minister. Though work is progressing on the project, the channel has not been commissioned till date. The government should take immediate steps in this regard,� said Satyabrata Kalita of the Producers� Guild, while addressing the media today.
The general secretary of the Guild, Dipak Das said that the dilemma in the field of commissioned programme funding from the Union Government is about to get over as the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has decided to announce the commissioned programmes within June. �Around 1,400 empanelled producers, directors and thousands of artistes, technicians and other members of the production team had to suffer a lot as commissioned programmes were not announced in 2008-09 and 2009-10,� he mentioned.
Providing more relief to the producers, the Union Government has decided that service tax of the programmes would be paid by Doordarshan, instead of the producers.
The producers� body also demanded that the 92 vacant production posts in the 11 centres of the North East Region along with vacant posts of technicians should be filled up immediately.
