Tripura govt not standing by newspaper industry during COVID-19 crisis, raiding offices: Media body

Newspaper owners of Tripura on Tuesday alleged that state government is t supporting m when industry is going through a crisis due to coronavirus and lockdown, and inste, is raiding ir offices "illegally", a charge rejected by ministration.

Tripura Newspapers' Society (TNS), sole organisation of newspaper proprietors in BJP-ruled state, said its representatives called on Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on May 27, seeking a financial pack for survival of industry.

"Claiming to be a believer of freedom of press, chief minister assured delegation to consider matter sympatically, but response was received from government even after a month," TNS said in a statement.

circulation of newspapers has dropped throughout world due to coronavirus pandemic and newspaper industry in Tripura is also suffering losses, said statement issued after TNS held a meeting on Sunday.

"Inste of standing by newspapers in time of extreme crisis, state government was igring country's law and raiding offices of weekly and daily newspapers.

"Editors of various newspapers have strongly condemned illegal act of raiding newspaper offices by officials of Information and Cultural Affairs (ICA) Department," statement said. Under whose direction and under which law se steps h been taken is t kwn, TNS said.

ICA Director Ratan Biswas, however, denied that any newspaper offices were raided. "If specific instances of such incidents are brought to our tice, we will definitely investigate it," he said.

Registrar of Newspapers for India (RNI), a central government ncy that checks circulation of newspapers, has suspended verification due to COVID-19 pandemic, while Audit Bureau of Circulations, which certifies circulation figures of publications, has also closed audit, TNS claimed.

Due to lockdown, companies have stopped issuing vertisements in newspapers across world and owners of publications are eir going for retrenchment or slashing salary of employees, it said.

governments of Gujarat, Karnataka, Punjab, Andhra Presh and Telangana have anunced financial packs for survival of media industry, while Tripura government is raiding newspaper offices, it claimed. Running newspapers from a landlocked state like Tripura is a costly business as all materials are brought from outside.

"Even in such a hard time, proprietors are trying to run ir publications as 6,000 people are directly involved with this industry. Besides, re are 4,000 newspaper vendors," statement said.

When contacted, TNS chairman Subal Kumar De claimed government officials raided offices of various newspapers, including his own daily 'Syandan Patrika', and sought information on circulation, employees besides or details. However, officials failed to show any order assigning m to do it, De asserted.