Nagaland MP Supongmeren Jamir flags severe staff crisis at Kohima’s Akashvani and Doordarshan centres

Nagaland’s lone Lok Sabha MP, Supongmeren Jamir, has sounded the alarm over a deepening administrative and operational crisis at the Akashvani and Doordarshan Kendras in Kohima. Raising the issue under Rule 377 in the Lok Sabha on December 1, he urged the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting to take immediate corrective measures to avert a collapse of vital public broadcasting services in the state.

According to figures placed before Parliament, both institutions are functioning with over 60% vacancy in sanctioned posts:

Akashvani Kendra, Kohima: 260 sanctioned posts; only 90 filled — 170 positions vacant (65%)

Doordarshan Kendra, Kohima: 144 sanctioned posts; only 55 filled — 89 positions vacant (62%)

Jamir highlighted that the absence of a full-time Station Director at both Kendras has created a major management vacuum. Currently, a Deputy Director General based in Dibrugarh, Assam, is remotely handling administrative responsibilities, resulting in delays in approvals, weakened oversight of programming, and disruptions in the functioning of maintenance units across Nagaland.

The MP warned that the staffing scarcity is preventing Prasar Bharati from fulfilling its mandate of showcasing Nagaland’s cultural identity, linguistic diversity, and socio-economic development stories on national platforms. As a result, institutions key to national integration and regional representation are being pushed into operational distress.

Calling the situation “unacceptable,” Jamir demanded priority action from the government to:

Appoint full-time Heads of Office for both Akashvani and Doordarshan Kendras in Kohima.

Expedite recruitment to fill all sanctioned vacancies.

Address the acute shortage of engineers, Technical Assistants, and Junior Technical Assistants, especially at AIR Kohima and LRS Mokokchung.

Jamir further assured that he will continue to pursue the issue with the Centre until the public broadcasting network in Nagaland is restored to functional strength, stating that a fully staffed broadcast infrastructure is critical for democracy, connectivity, and cultural expression in the state.