Author: Prafulla Das
Publication: The Hindu
Date: May 22, 2002
The unearthing of some illegal private
radio stations in coastal Orissa has surprised those in power as well as
the general public in the State.
Though preliminary investigations
have indicated that these unauthorised transmission centres were operating
as small commercial ventures, the fact that they were found operating close
to defence installations at Chandipur in Balasore district and the Wheeler
Island in Kendrapara district has raised doubts in the minds of the police
about the intentions of the people running them.
Initially, the police unearthed
two such transmission centres - one in the Rajnagar block of Kendrapara
and the other in Bhograi block of Balasore district. They received information
on three more such stations in the region.
In the raids on the two centres,
a Bangladeshi migrant had been arrested from Rajnagar, while a local man
was arrested in Chandaneswar area of Bhograi block.
Both the accused are in judicial
custody.
"Preliminary investigations in regard
to the two stations has ruled out the possibility of the stations having
any ISI links. However, investigations are on to find out whether those
running them have with any anti-national organisation," the Director General
of Police, N.C. Padhi, told The Hindu today.
Mr. Padhi said the radio stations
were operating in violation of the Indian Telegraph Act and had transmitters
which covered a radius of about 6 km. The accused had purchased the small
range transmitters from Calcutta.
Since the areas where such centres
were operating had a mix of Oriya and Bengali population, they were playing
vulgar songs in Oriya and Bengali to attract listeners.
They were also collecting commercials
from local shopkeepers for a price.
