Dimapur, May 21 (MExN): Kolkata-based English daily The Telegraph has shut its operations in Jharkhand and the Northeast and consequently laid off more than 35 staffers, the online portal Newslaundry reported on May 21.
The decision has affected the paper’s Guwahati bureau in Assam, and the Jamshedpur and Ranchi bureaus in Jharkhand.
Dozens of freelancers and contributors associated with the Telegraph in the two regions have also been affected, it said.
According to the report, the news was broken to employees over the phone on May 20 by the newspaper’s editor, R Rajagopal. They were told that May 31 will be the last issue of the daily in their respective regions. Newslaundry learnt that those affected at The Telegraph have been offered three to nine months’ basic pay, along with gratuity pay for employees associated for 10 or more years with the publication, it added.
However, employees pointed out that the communication has been verbal. The paper’s management has not sent out an official email or letter yet. More than 35 employees at the Telegraph have been shown the door, including more than 25 staffers in Jharkhand and about 10 in the Northeast, the report said.
The paper's bureaus spread across Kolkata, South Bengal, North Bengal, Guwahati, Jharkhand, Patna and Bhubaneswar. It shut its Bhubaneswar and Patna bureaus in December 2018. Mrinal Talukdar, a senior journalist from the region also confirmed the news on a Twitter post.
“The Telegraph, North East Edition, is shutting down from May 31 after 19 years of publication. Telegraph, Ghy friends have confirmed it. Very sad. It has the best coverage of NE for years,” he added.
