Udhampur to get first-ever FM radio station

Jammu Tawi, Feb 16 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur city is all set to get its first ever FM radio station, the Centre said today while granting Rs 9.24 crore for the project.

A formal communication was issued to this effect by the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, which also wrote a letter to Chief Executive Officer, Prasar Bharati, New Delhi to carry forward the plan.

The announcement comes close on the heels of the approval of Rs 170.50 crore by the Central government for the cleaning of river Devika under National River Conservation Plan (NRCP) in Udhampur district.

Singh said the proposed radio station at Udhampur will have a 10 kW FM transmitter, a studio and 100 meter tower.

While Rs 9.24 crore has been approved as the cost of civil works and equipment, he said, this will not include the cost of land which has already been identified in the city premises of Udhampur.

The process of land acquisition and thereafter the construction task will begin shortly to  begin with.

The demand for the radio station was raised soon after the 1965 war and that one of the reasons cited was that radio signals from Radio Pakistan tended to be dominating.