Govt to preserve, refurbish historic Kalurghat radio station: Yasser
State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Yasser Khan Chowdhury on Saturday said the government will take necessary steps to preserve and refurbish the historic Kalurghat radio station in Chattogram, from where Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman made the declaration of independence.
He made the remarks while exchanging views with journalists after visiting the radio station in the morning.
“Kalurghat radio station has remained abandoned for a long time and has also suffered damage due to rain. The government will take appropriate initiatives to protect the historic station and steps will also be taken to refurbish it,” he said.
BNP lawmaker from Chattogram-8 Ershad Ullah and officials of the radio station were present at the meeting.
Asked about the virtual address delivered by ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from New Delhi on August 5, Yasser questioned whether any media outlet should broadcast a speech by the chief of a fascist organisation.
He said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Home Minister had already issued clear statements on the matter and said he personally supported their position.
The state minister also expressed concern over the growing spread of misinformation and rumours on social media. He said the government was considering new measures to address the problem, while the Information and Broadcasting Ministry was taking effective initiatives to combat misinformation.
Regarding Bangladesh Television (BTV), Yasser said a forensic audit was being initiated to improve the quality of its programmes. Necessary measures would be taken to improve BTV’s transmission quality, programming and digitalisation based on the audit findings.
Later, Yasser visited the regional information office in Chattogram.
At a meeting with officials and employees of the Press Information Department (PID), he said the department played an important role in bridging the information gap between the government and the people.
He said PID remained active in disseminating information about government programmes, development activities and public services, as well as raising public awareness and providing necessary information during disasters.
Regarding the manpower shortage in PID, the state minister said the government would take quick and effective measures to address the problem.
He said maximum use of existing manpower and resources would be ensured by strengthening coordination among agencies under the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.
Yasser urged PID officials to make their programmes more dynamic and effective to ensure quality public services and take government information to people’s doorsteps.
Bappy Chakraborty, Deputy Chief Information Officer of the Chattogram regional information office, presented a documentary on the activities of the Chattogram PID at the meeting.
Officials from different government offices and media workers, among others, attended the programme.
