Radio Meghna FM 99.0

Radio Meghna FM 99.0Radio Meghna pledges for secured
livelihood for the fisher folk and
small islanders in Bay of Bengal
18 February 2015 is a memorable day of the
history of Charfassion, Bhola as the community
fm radio named 'Radio Meghna' is inaugurated
by the Honorable Minister of Information Mr. Hasanul Huq Inu. The Deputy Minister of
Environment and Forest and the locally elected
people's rep

resentative Mr. Abdullah Al Islam
Jacob MP
was also present in the inauguration along with
the honorable Information Secretary Mr. Mortuza
Ahmad, the Managing Director of PKSF Mr. Abdul
Karim (former Cabinet 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. CEO of BNNRC Mr. AHM
Bazlur Rahman, Executive Director of VOICE Mr. Ahmed Swapan Mahmud, both of who are the
member of National Monitoring Committee of
Community Radios of Bangladesh 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. 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.