Sikkim likely to have Doordarshan soon
Posted by barunroy on May 12, 2008
GANGTOK, May 11: To bring the state in the mainstream the state ‘Doordarshan Kendra’ is going to function very soon from Gangtok. However, the initiative taken by the state Governor Mr Sudarshan Agarwal, who has pursued the matter with the Union minister for Information and Broadcasting, and also asked him to look into the matter seriously as to find out what are the factors that work against the functioning of the Doordarshan Kendra in Gangtok. The state Doordarshan Kendra for Gangtok was however, commissioned in November 2004 after it was completed a decade ago and is still waiting for the formal inauguration to so that work can start in full swing at the centre. The state government has been vigorously pursuing the matter with the Central government. The state chief minister, Mr Pawan Chamling has communicated through letters to the Union ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India on several occasions for the inauguration of the Doordarshan Kendra without any result.
Earlier, in the 1990’s the Centre had objected to the upgradation of Gangtok Television Tower claiming it would catch the television network of China being situated at the same range which may grab all the Chinese secrets from the network. Thanks to the state Governor for pursuing the issue once again and giving the project another attempt. The state Governor Mr Surdarshan Agarwal has taken up the matter with the Union Information and Broadcasting minister Mr Priya Ranjan Das Munshi seriously to intervene in the slowdown of developmental activities in the state so that information could reach the people of Sikkim and the general public at large.
Residents here believe that if ‘Doordarshan Kendra’ here functions well then it would present Sikkim in the mainstream because people living in parts of the country still say Sikkim is a foreign country. Doordarshan Kendra can only cover the wide range of the country right from urban to rural areas and could transmit the information to all parts of the country. [The Statesman]
