Prasar Bharati withdraws shifting of Dharwad AIR unit to Bengaluru

Hubballi: Bowing to rising protests condemning the temporary shifting of the Regional News Unit (RNU) of All India Radio Dharwad to Bengaluru, Prasar Bharati withdrew its proposal on Wednesday.Jitendra Singh Katara, deputy director general (Policy), Prasar Bharati, Delhi, said in his letter dated April 22, the order dated April 17, issued regarding the temporary shifting of workload from RNU, Dharwad, to RNU Bengaluru stands withdrawn with immediate effect. Meanwhile, Union minister Pralhad Joshi, who represents Dharwad Lok Sabha constituency, said there was opposition from the people of North Karnataka regarding the proposed relocation. "We approached Union minister of information and broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw and informed him about the scope of the Dharwad RNU and the necessity of keeping it in Dharwad. Responding to our request, Vaishnaw ordered that the RNU will continue to operate in Dharwad itself," he added. He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vaishnaw on behalf of the people of North Karnataka. TOI published a report over the issue on April 19, Sunday. Many writers, activists and the public launched protests against Prasar Bharati's decision.