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Concern expressed over Focus NE’s closure

By Nava Thakuria |

Electronic Media Forum Assam (EMFA) has expressed concerns over the official closure of  Focus NE (formerly NE TV), which was launched in March 2004, and urged the management to compensate its employees according to the existing laws.

Identified as the first satellite news channel of northeast India, which once beamed news bulletins in over 16 recognized languages and also dialects for the benefit of 50 million populace of the region, was reportedly owned by Congress stalwart Naveen Jindal, the former Parliamentarian from Kurukshetra (Haryana). The chairman of Jindal Steel and Power Ltd lastly got the ownership of the vibrant channel from another Congress veteran, Matang Sinh, who was an Union minister in PV Narsimharao’s cabinet.

Unconfirmed source reveals that the news channel would be re-launched very soon may be with different nomenclature. The EMFA fervently urges the new management to recruit the present staff of Focus NE according to their skill and efficiency.

In another development, the EMFA also condemned the incident of assaults to a city based scribe. The EMFA urged the authority to take appropriate actions against the offenders, who had physically attacked Mukut Roy of Dainik Agradoot on 22 May  2015 when he was on a journalistic assignment. The EMFA reiterated its old demand for a special law to protect the media persons on duty across the country.

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