IMPHAL: The media outlets in Manipur have threatened to boycott news related to the Manipur government, ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and opposition Congress over the non-clearance of advertisement bills.
A joint meeting of newspaper publishers, members of Editors Guild Manipur (EGM), Manipur Hill Journalists Union (MHJU) and All Manipur Working Journalists’ Union (AMWJU) was held in this regard on Friday.
“In the case of the two political parties, the bills pertain to election advertisement of the just concluded 12th Manipur state assembly election. Bills running into lakhs of both the parties, mostly outsourced to external advertising agencies, remain unpaid even as the election process has ended and government installed,” said a joint statement issued by AMWJU and EGM here on Saturday. “The meeting resolved to appeal to the state presidents of both the BJP and the Congress to clear the bills by 23rd April 2022 or face boycott.”
Claiming that bills running into nearly ₹10 crore have been lying unpaid for several years in the case of Manipur government, the statement said the issue was raised by the media fraternity on November 27 last year through a memorandum to the then information & public relations minister.
An assurance from the chief minister and strict instruction to his ministries led to suspension of any form of agitation and the media fraternity waited, it said, adding that a meeting with the chief secretary of Manipur also resulted in further assurance to clear all bills by March 31 this year.
{{/usCountry}}An assurance from the chief minister and strict instruction to his ministries led to suspension of any form of agitation and the media fraternity waited, it said, adding that a meeting with the chief secretary of Manipur also resulted in further assurance to clear all bills by March 31 this year.
{{/usCountry}}“However, nearly 5 months since the issue was raised, except for around 10% of pending bills, no further payment has been forthcoming, “the statement claimed.
Media houses are already reeling under the impact of Covid-19 pandemic and shrinking market, it said.
The joint meeting has set 4pm of April 23 as the deadline for clearance of the bills failing which a meeting is being convened on the same day to discuss the method and details of the boycott, it added.
It may be mentioned that there are more than two dozen vernacular and English dailies published across the state of Manipur.