Popular Bihar radio station may beam again

India
Popular Bihar radio station may beam again
By Imran Khan, Indo-Asian News Service, Nov 21, 2006 - 1:55:48 PM

Patna, Nov 21 (IANS) Radio Raghav, a popular radio station in Bihar that closed down last year for not possessing a license, may go on the air again.

The radio, which won over thousands in Vaishali district and nearby areas, giving a tough time to the state-owned All India Radio and otherwise popular FM channels, may restart, says its creator, Ragho Mahto.

Mahto, of Mansoorpur village in Vaishali, is elated over the central government's new policy to give concessions to community radio stations run by villagers and NGOs.

'I will restart my radio station if I get a license,' Mahto told IANS on telephone.

Radio Raghav FM Mansoorpur 1 channel, which was shut down after a nearly two year successful run, is getting donations from villagers and well-wishers to come alive.

Mahto, in his early 20s, said hundreds of villagers desperately wanted to revive Radio Raghav, as it is popularly known. 'Many people have approached me and offered financial help,' he said.

He said he had been told that the government would charge Rs.25,000 for a license. 'I feel I can manage the amount with the help of donations,' said the man who owns an electronic goods repair shop at Gudri Bazar near Mansoorpur.

Radio Raghav was running like a community radio service, providing local news and views in the local dialect for villages in Muzaffarpur, Vaishali and Saran districts.

It would also air Hindi songs, programmes on AIDS awareness, polio eradication, on literacy initiatives and information on missing people as well as on local functions and festivals - all free of cost.

Mahto, who loves tinkering with old equipment, began the service in 2003.

The Vaishali district administration forced Mahto to close down the radio station for violating the Indian Telegraph Act. A formal police complaint was lodged against Mahto and his radio equipment seized by the authorities.

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