GUWAHATI, Dec 13 � The Northeast Newspaper Society (NNS) has decided to stop publishing government advertisements, statements of ministers, and photos featuring ministers, MLAs and related news unless the State Government increases its advertisement rates.
The NNS also set a deadline of December 24 after which it would be left with no other alternative but to black out government advertisements, news and photos.
A meeting of the NNS held on Thursday under the presidentship of Kanak Sen Deka, Editor, Dainik Agradoot, discussed the matter and decried the Government�s failure to respond to the repeated pleas made by the newspaper industry to hike government advertisement rates.
The NNS had recently submitted a memorandum to the State Chief Secretary, highlighting its grievances due to the low rates of government advertisements and seeking the Government�s intervention.
�However, despite assurances by the Chief Secretary, nothing has materialised till date. Advertisement rates in Assam happen to be the lowest in the North-east, and the newspaper industry has been hit hard by the escalating price of newsprint and other printing materials,� it said in a statement.
The NNS meet was attended, among others, by its vice president PG Baruah, general secretary GL Agarwala and joint secretary Jayanta Baruah.