FM radio stations in Bihar to counter Nepal’s FM

PATNA - To counter the increasing popularity of Nepal’s FM radio services in Bihar villages, three FM radio relay centres will be set up in districts along the Indo-Nepal border in the state, an official said Saturday.

“The FM radio relay centres would be set up at Bettiah, Motihari and Madhubani districts by March 2011,” an official of the information and broadcasting ministry told IANS.

According to official sources, the work on these stations is underway.

Doordarshan officials in Patna and Muzaffarpur admitted that Nepal’s FM radio is very popular in rural areas in the state bordering Nepal as it is easy to connect in the absence of a facility to tune in to Indian FM radio.

Intelligence Bureau officials had reported to the government that Nepal’s FM radio can be used by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Nepal’s Maoists for propaganda in villages bordering the Himalayan nation.

Police officials here said ISI agents and Nepal’s Maoists have increased their activities in rural areas in Bihar along the Indo-Nepal border. “Communication is an easy tool to motivate people,” a police official said.