Despite the demand for increasing transmission power of Pauri station of All India Radio, no proactive steps have been taken by the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for the past many years.
Residents of many towns and villages in Pauri district are unable to receive the transmission from AIR Pauri due to this anomaly. At present, the transmission from AIR Pauri can be heard only in the areas within an aerial distance of 20-25 kilometres from the station. Though AIR Pauri is able to maintain its formal existence, the purpose of establishing it has not been achieved yet. In times like now, the radio could have played a crucial role in broadcasting important information to those living in affected areas that have lost road links.
The AIR Pauri station was inaugurated in 1996 by the then Union Minister and present Garhwal MP Satpal Maharaj. The capacity of this station is only one kilowatt and technically the transmission of this station can be heard within a range of 20 kms from the station. The residents of various villages and towns including those in adjoining Tehri district are unable to receive transmission from station. The radio station has been facing problems due to its limited transmission range, frequency and staff shortage, but so far the authorities have remained apathetic towards this.
Due to shortage of staff, the employees are unable to avail of their leave and are coming under increasing pressure. The AIR Pauri station has only one vehicle which is 17 years old and on top of it, adequate budget for its fuel has not been provided. The general public opinion is that though the radio station is functioning well considering its limited resources, the programmes cannot be heard in remote areas of the district for which it was established.