Port Blair, Jan. 4: The Indian Information Service (IIS) officer, Shri A. Dhanasekaran presently serving as News Editor, All India Radio, Port Blair assumed charge as Assistant Director (Media and Communication) of Press Information Bureau at Port Blair today.

Prior to his posting in Andaman and Nicobar islands, he served in Central Board of Film Certification in Thiruvanantapuram, Bangalore and Chennai regions. While serving as Addnl. Regional officer of the Censor Board at Thiruvanantapuram, he took essential steps to make the film certification system highly transparent, prompt and more effective. 

At the instance of the then Censor Board Chairman and noted film maker Vijay Anand, he had formed an Experts Committee to review the Cinematograph Act, 1952 in the light of the acts followed by different countries including Australia, New Zealand and Germany, which submitted its controversial report to the Government, recommending for legalizing the X rated films in the country under the new classification of MA (Matured Audience).  Although, the recommendations of the committee were well acclaimed by the entire media and film fraternity of the country, the then BJP led government at the centre did not accept the recommendation on moral grounds.  In protest against the conservative approach of the government, Vijay Anand resigned from the Board.

During his tenure in Censor Boards in Bangalore and Chennai regions, Dhanasekaran executed major raids in cinema theatres in different cities, which were screening films in violation of censorship provisions and booked offenders under the Cinematograph act. He also had to face strong criticism by the Kannada film industry when the Kannada film ‘Kanti’ was refused certification by the board on the ground that it promoted regionalism and advocates for the rights of sons of soil over other language people settled in Karnataka.

During his long stint as Field publicity officer in Tamilnadu region, he planned and executed many campaigns in different districts aimed at yielding fruitful results rather than creating mere awareness. Notably, in the Child labour abolition campaign in Vellore district, 29 bonded child labourers were released and enrolled in to special schools, which was well acclaimed by the media including leading national dailies like ‘The Hindu’.

The new head of PIB, Port Blair joined the All India Radio, Port Blair in the aftermath of Tsunami and has been serving as Correspondent and News Editor since 2005.  He had filed a number of in-depth stories on tsunami rehabilitation works across the islands, besides producing innovative programmes for national broadcast including 100 years of Celluar jail and documentary on tourism in Post Tsunami period titled REVIVAL, besides a number of news features.

He has also served in Print Media as the Editor of Defence weekly Journal Sainik Samachar, published by Ministry of Defence.

The media head post at Press Information Bureau has been vacant for the last two years, following the retirement of the then officer, O. N. Jaiswal. The issue was raised by Shri Bishnu Pada Ray, Member of Parliament during the Parliament session. The MP had also personally held talks with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to fill up the vacant posts of different media units at Port Blair.

During the recent meeting of the press delegation led by the MP with Ms. Neelam Kapoor, Principal Director General of Press Information Bureau in New Delhi, she informed that the Ministry has issued the order to fill up the vacant post of Asst. Director in PIB, Port Blair to meet the information needs of the local people.

Andaman Chronicle welcomes Shri A Dhanasekaran as the head of the Press Information Bureau, Port Blair and hopes that the vast experience of the new Asst. Director would go a long way in improving and benefitting the small newspapers in the islands.