Guwahati, March 30: Journalist and non-journalist media employees
engaged with newspapers and news channels in Guwahati have
demonstrated their angers today in front of Guwahati Press Club
against the management of Sangbad Lahari, a Bengali daily newspaper
simultaneously published from Guwahati & Shillong for its sudden
closure notice rendering 100 employees jobless.
The participants covered their mouths with black clasps demanding an
immediate withdrawal of the closure notice issued by Shillong Times
Pvt Ltd, Meghalaya three days back. The agitators also urged Tarun
Gogoi, chief minister of Assam and Dr Mukul Sangma, chief minister of
Meghalaya to pursue with the concerned management to continue its
publication.
Sangbad Lahari was first launched in Guwahati in 2009 and later its
Meghalaya edition was started in July 2011. The then State Governor RS
Mooshahary released the first copy of Sangbad Lahari from Shillong.
Mentionable is that Sangbad Lahari was Meghalaya’s first Bengali
newspaper. Manas Chaudhuri, the then managing director of Shillong
Times group asserted that Sangbad Lahari was not a money-making
venture but a social service for the esteem Bengali readers.
The closure notice from Shillong Times private limited (Ref no
ST/63/14, date: 26 March 2014) was issued by general manager Mrs S.
Chaudhuri which described that the management had decided ‘to close
down the publication of Sangbad Lahari w.e.f. 1st April 2014′ due to
reasons beyond its control.
The management has however offered a month’s salary to its employees
as a token of support to them, which has been rejected by All Assam
Media Employees’ Federation (AAMEF). The AAMEF president Hiten Mahnata
argues that the Shillong Times management should release at least
five months’ salaries to the employees of Sangbad Lahari with other
legal benefits before closing down the newspaper.
The year 2013 witnessed the closing down of three daily newspapers and
one satellite news channel. While the employees of Sakaal Bela, a
Bengali newspaper, Seven Sisters’ Post, an English daily and Dainik
Pratibimba, an Assamese daily did not receive any compensation from
the managements, the television employees of Prime News had compelled
its management with a series of protests to release three months’
cumulative salaries at the time of closure.
Today’s protest meeting was addressed by AAMEF president Hiten
Mahanta, senior journalists Amal Gupta, Nava Thakuria with others.
AAMEF also decided to lodge a complaint regarding the closure of
Sangbad Lahari in the office of labour commissioner in the city.
The media employees’ federation reiterated its demand for a social
media audit of the concerned newspaper house, as its management has
shown the acute financial crisis as the reason behind the closure
notice for Sangbad Lahari, such that its valued readers can have a
fair idea about the present crisis of the media enterprise.(SP News)
