LARKANA, Jan 15: The commissioning of a medium-wave radio station in Larkana has been delayed owing to the lack of interest of the federal government in the project. Sources told Dawn that the Rs100 million project, including construction of 10 kilowatts low power transmitter (LPT) and four modern studios, had been completed.

The LPT had been built in a highly saline land near Chuharpur on the Larkana-Naudero road and due to the delay in starting the radio station, a portion of the boundary wall of the LPT had fallen and the studios fitted with modern equipment adjacent to the FM Radio Pakistan, Larkana, had been locked.

The PPP government had sanctioned a transmitter of 100 kilowatts for Larkana but due to the change of the government, it was installed somewhere else, sources said.

Sources said that despite paying Rs1 million to Wapda for a three-phase power supply from the city feeder, the power supply had not been ensured. They said that temporarily, the LTP had been connected with the Tube Well feeder of Wapda which most of the time remained shut. They further said that the LPT could not be run on low voltage.

The construction wing of the Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation had completed the work of the studios and the LPT in December 2003 and handed over it to the local PBC management in February 2004.

Modern musical and other instruments needed at the radio station can be rusted and the main building of the LPT damaged if it is not made operational.

Jamali: Former Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali has asked people to vote for those candidates in next year’s general election who can resolve their problems.