Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, January 02 2008:
THE DISAGREEMENT between the newspaper publishers and the newspaper distributors over the hike of commission for the distributors went on for the third day today with both sides sticking to their own stands resulting in the distributors refusing to deliver the newspapers to the readers.
Demanding Re 1.30 p as commission per copy of the eight-paged colour newspapers of which price has been increased to Rs 3 per copy from January 1, 2009, the New Year Day, the All Manipur Newspaper Sales and Distributors' Association has decided not to distribute the newspapers until the publishers agree to pay the commission as the Association demanded.
As a result, all newspapers published in Imphal were not delivered to the readers, and not allowed to be sold at the news-stands too yesterday by the newspaper distributors, seller and hawkers.
The newspaper publishers and the distributors met today to discuss the matter but couldn't arrive at any sort of agreement.
Meanwhile, a press release issued by the Newspaper Publishers Forum, Manipur today stated that the price of eight-page newspapers printed in colour has been increased to Rs 3 per copy due to the excessive increase in the prices of the materials required in publishing newspapers and the distributors are paid Re 1 as commission per copy.
However, since the distributors say that the commission is not much and not upto their expectation, they have stopped distributing the newspapers from January 1 this year.
Paying Re 1 as commission in distributing a copy of a news paper of which price is Rs 3 is quite reasonable.
But it is not right on the part of the distributors not to make the right to information available to the people by ceasing distribution of newspapers, the Forum stated.
Even though the distributors have stopped distributing newspapers, publication of the newspapers is still continuing.
Readers may come to the offices of the press and collect the newspapers, the Forum stated and informed the distributors not to obstruct when readers come to collect the newspapers from the press.