[IRCA] Fw: [dx_india] AIR woes: Urdu service still off air

["Bob Foxworth" <rfoxwor1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Here is the full story on the 1071 Rajkot station QRT - Bob

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Alokesh" <alokeshgupta@xxxxxxxx>
To: "DX-INDIA" <dx_india@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, October 03, 2005 22:24
Subject: [dx_india] AIR woes: Urdu service still off air


> AIR woes: Urdu service still off air
> Many consider the service as tool to counter adverse political
propaganda by
> Pak
>
> Tanvir Siddiqui
> Ahmedabad, October 3: The Urdu service of All India Radio (External
Services
> Division), which has been extremely popular among listeners of western
> India, Pakistan and West Asia, stands discontinued due to technical
reasons,
> since April 2004.
> The service is considered by many as an effective tool to counter the
> adverse political propaganda aired by Pakistan.
> Says AIR secretary Rakesh Panara, ''the service stands discontinued
since
> April 2004, when the second part of its super-power transmitter
> malfunctioned and could not be restored despite several attempts by
the
> engineers. The first transmitter had stopped functioning several years
ago.
> Pinara says that RF-3 stage valve, a critical component of this
super-power
> transmitter at Rajkot, went out of order and as on date, no company
> manufactures it, not even the Government owned Bharat Electronics Ltd
(BEL).
> The superpower transmitter at Rajkot is of 1 mega watt capacity is one
of
> three such in the country, the other two being at Aligarh and Nagpur.
> While the 1 MW transmitters at Aligarh and Nagpur have been modernised
and
> upgraded to solid state digital technology, the one at Rajkot
(Padadhari)
> remained obsolete and ultimately malfunctioned in April 2004, but not
before
> performing more than 15 years beyond its life span, points Panara.
> Prasar Bharati Corporation has requisitioned for a new digital
transmitter
> for Rajkot, which would cost an estimate Rs 42 crore. The funds
constraint
> remain a major handicap, especially after it initiated austerity
measures
> announced by the Finance Ministry.
> Panara says that the prohibitive maintenance costs of the present
setup and
> poor revenue generation may force closure of Rajkot super-power
transmitter,
> even as the Ministry of External Affairs is not favour of doing so
because
> of its strategic importance. Even the Home Ministry also wants the
service
> to resume as it provides fitting reply to vicious anti-India
propaganda
> across the border, he said.
> The technical association is also keen on restoration of jobs to staff
that
> have been scattered here or there due to closure of the old
transmitter, as
> soon as the new transmitter arrives.
> Station engineer AIR Rajkot K A Raval said the wiring of the
transmitter had
> rotted and its valve also malfunctioned. ''BEL does not manufacture
such
> valves any more, but there is some hope as we are asked to keep the
> transmitter area clean, as consignments are expected to arrive in the
near
> future,'' he said.
>
> http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=151328
>
> -----------------
> Alokesh Gupta
> New Delhi




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