18 February 2015 is a memorable day of the history of Charfassion, Bhola Island community of Bangladesh as the 15thcommunity FM radio named ‘Radio Meghna 98.4’ was inaugurated by H E. Hasanul Huq Inu, MP, the Honorable Minister of Ministry of Information of Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. Community Radio Meghna 98.4 is initiated by Coastal Association for Social Transformation(COAST) Trust.
The Deputy Minister of Environment and Forest and the locally elected people’s representative H E Abdullah Al Islam Jacob, MP was also present in the inauguration along with the honorable Information Secretary Mr. Mortuza Ahmad, the Managing Director of Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) Mr. Abdul Karim (former Principal Secretary), the Director General of Bangladesh Betar Mr. Kazi Akhtar Uddin Ahmed (Additional Secretary), the former Parliament Member Dr. Akram Hossain Chowdhury.
The Country Director of Action Aid Bangladesh Ms. Farah Kabir and the Director of same organization Mr. Asgar Ali Sabri also witnessed the grand inauguration. The Regional Policy Coordinator of Oxfam GB Asia Mr. Ziaul Huq Mukta was also present.
Chief Executive Officer of Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC) AHM Bazlur Rahman, Executive Director of VOICE Mr. Ahmed Swapan Mahmud, both of who are the member of Central Monitoring Committee and National Regulatory Committee of Community Radio of Ministry of Information were also present.
The honorable Information Minister inaugurates the radio by his live speech to remark the people of Charfassion. The honorable Deputy Minister of Environment and Forest also spoke live into the microphone to address the people. After unwrapping the name-stone of Radio Meghna and opening the broadcasting the guests participated in a discussion held at the Brajagopal Town Hall of Charfassion in the afternoon which is jointly hosted by COAST Trust, Upazila Council of Charfassion and Charfassion Municipality. Mr. Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, the Executive Director of COAST Trust chaired and moderated the discussion.
The Deputy Comissioner of Bhola district Mr. Selim Reza and the Police Super of Bhola Mr. Kamruzzaman were also present in the inauguration discussion. The local government officials, elected people’s representatives of the upazila council and the municipality were also present.
On behalf of the community, COAST presented the slides on how this community radio can contribute in establishing the security of the sea-going fishermen from the life threatening piracy and cyclones in the Bay of Bengal. COAST also presented how a community can play an important role to end the digital divide and pave the Digital Justice in the rural and remote island community.
The key demands from the discussion raised are: to increase the transmission power from 100 watt to at least 250 watt so that the broadcast can cover the sea going boats and small islanders; to release the Universal Obligatory Fund and let the community radios access to this fund to serve the people who are deprived of tele-service; to create scope of working to end the digital divide and establish the digital justice; to declare the Air Wave as the Common Public Good and let the non-profit community media to use it more than the profit making commercial media.
So far 14 Community Radio Stations are on-air in the country, aiming to ensure empowerment and right to information for the rural community. They are broadcasting altogether 120 hours program per day on information, education, local entertainment and development motivation activities. Around 1000 Youth Women & Youth are now working with those stations throughout the country as rural broadcasters within 4.6 million rural people in 67 upazillas under 13 districts. Another 17 community radio station will start broadcast by end the 2015.
Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC) is promoting the advocacy with the government in relations to community radio with other organizations since its emergence from 2000. BNNRC has been addressing the community radio and community TV access issue for over a decade, helping to bridge the information gap of rural Bangladesh with the support from Free Press Unlimited.
BNNRC has initiated a process to explore the future of development cooperation and the role of electronic community media over the next 15 years, and we already have a new challenge! We have already started Community Media News Agency (CMNA), Community Media Academy (CMA) & Community Media Newsletter for building capacity of electronic community media sector.
