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KHAIRPUR, June 3: The Khairpur Radio Station is one of the major radio stations of the country but people of the Thar area of Nara taluka here are unable to listen its programmes.
The main reason is said to be that it is functioning at 50KW voltage instead of 100KW voltage.
On March 21, 1983, the Khairpur Radio Station started broadcasting two hours local programmes and five hours programmes from the Hyderabad Radio Station.
Former Prime Minister Mohammad Khan Junejo inaugurated the new building of the Radio Pakistan, Khairpur, on May 7, 1986, which started broadcasting 15 hours live programmes daily with 60 per cent Sindhi and 40 per cent Urdu programmes.
In the beginning, the programme of the radio station could be heard at a very long range, even in some other countries also, as it had 530 feet strong mast tower.
The upper portion of this tower was broken in 1986 which had not been restored till now.
The radio station is presently functioning on 220 feet tower, depriving listeners of most areas of Sukkur, Larkana division, Balochistan and Seraiki belt of Punjab of its programmes.
In 1986, the Khairpur Radio Station was getting Rs50,000 for programmes which has now been increased to Rs90,000.
The sanctioned strength of staff of the radio station is 15 producers and two programme managers but only four producers are working since last many years and one producer has to supervise 18 to 19 programmes. There has been no programme manager since years.
Despite of financial and other difficulties, the radio station introduced many new voices and folk artists from Khairpur, Larkana, Jacobabad, Sukkur and Ghotki districts like Sohrab Faqir, Mai Hajano, Alghoza Nawaz, Ashraf Ali, Mahram
Ali, Faqir Ghulam Hussain, Motan Shah and Baby Rukhsana.
These artists not only have performed in Sindh but are also popular in other parts of the country and some of them have also represented Pakistan in other countries.
The total strength of staff of the Radio Pakistan, Khairpur, is 144 but presently, 97 are working.
The monthly allocated funds for programmes are very short due to which great hardships are being experienced in producing programmes.
KILLED: A man, Pirano Haradin (45), was killed when he was hit by a pick-up in Sabil, near Faiz Ganj, here on Sunday.
Soon the police arrived and arrested the driver.
Meanwhile, Koro Khan, who was injured the other day by the Awami Express near the Khairpur Railway Station, died here on Sunday night in the civil hospital.
