The soviet information office here is to be closed. This will be the final denouement for the gargantuan publishing empire of sorts which has been crumbling under the hard knocks of glasnost during the last few years.
The organization’s huge office here is currently the | venue of a 4-month- long sit-in demonstration by its 200-odd employees whose services have been terminated. It was formally known as the ‘Information Department of the USSR Embassy in India’ but was working as the office of the APN (Novosti Press Agency). The APN is run in the name of Soviet Trade Unions. It was listed in Moscow as the largest APN center abroad and held the dubious distinction of the largest information department of an embassy here staffed by several dozens of Russians. During over 40 years of its existence the number of Soviet staff always exceeded the limit under the diplomatic norms. The ministry of external affairs had urged the Soviet embassy to reduce the diplomatic staff under the information department more than once. What exactly prompted the gradual closure of this office-glasnost (openness), economic slum the Baharat Award? Till this day it was functioning as a large publishing house with print order these flashy, multi-language – magazines (for example Soviet Land) running into lakhs. The Indian employees from journalists to drivers and dispatchers have been fired without any compensation. Dismissal notices were served ostensibly due to reduction of work. Privately the economic difficulties of their country are described as the reason. But employees repudiate this explanation, aim) saying they are being terminated for demanding full implementation of Bachata Award. The Soviet: officials refuse to answer queries in this regard.
