Dasgupta asks Govt intervention into UNI affairs

Kolkata, Sept 16: CPI Lok Sabha member Gurudas Dasgupta has sought immediate intervention of the UPA Government into the reported transfer of majority share of national news agency UNI to a private media group.

In a letter to Information and Broadcasting Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunshi, Mr Dasgupta apprehended that the takeover by media tycoon Subhash Chandra would lead to largescale retrenchment of employees.

''With Mr Subhash Chandra taking over UNI after September 26 when the UNI Board is meeting, the agency's character is feared to be changed into a business enterprise and a large number retrenchment of employees would be a certainty in that eventuality,'' he said.

The letter said the total UNI assets were estimated at more than Rs 500 crore with about 1,000 employees, including 300 journalists on the rolls.

''UNI has so far been maintaining a neutral character in dissemination of news and it has grown from a humble beginning on March 21, 1961 to a national news agency status competing PTI,'' it said.

''The Government's intervention is immediatelly solicited to save UNI for ensuring free and fair flow of the news and dissemination of information and to protect the interest of its employees,'' it said.

Mr Dasgupta said though UNI is a privately owned company by the newspaper groups, they have made a little contribution or investment towards its growth and "with employees contribution it has now come up to have 1500 subscribers, supplying news to English, Hindi, Urdu newspapers as well as photo services throughout the country and abroad".

UNI