Karwar: Members of Karwar Photographers Association observed a bandh urging fulfillment of various demands including social security and other facilities for photographers and submitted a memorandum to the district administration in Karwar on Saturday regarding the same.

As part of the bandh, the photographer stayed away from their work in all towns and taluks in the district and also kept their studios closed. Almost all the members of all taluk association of photographers observed bandh and submitted memorandum to the respective taluk officers.

They demanded that photographers should be given loans to buy valuable photography related equipments in nationalized banks at low interest rates. They must be under unorganized sector and should be covered under pension scheme. The families of the photographers should be covered under various schemes of the government including RTE, Arogya Bhagya, ESI, Yashaswini irrespective of their income. For the welfare of the photographers, a welfare fund should be created. Photographers coming from humble background should be allotted sites and their children must be given scholarships. Government servants pursuing photography profession should be immediately suspended from service, they urged. They also demanded that the government must  provide a special scheme for women to work in photography field.

“Photography is an art. To protect the art and encourage it, a separate academy must be setup.  Government must identify vest photographers must provide work under many schemes related to photography to professional photographers of the respective districts. During elections, middlemen must be avoided and help of local videographers must be sought”, they demanded.

They also urged that the government should provide financial aid to construct a photographer’s hall in each district. Photographers must be considered for award given by Lalitkala Academy Madhyama Academy and other State awards given by the government.

Association president Suraj Jogleekar, Sainath Naik, Ravi Nayak, Anil Nayak, Kishan, Basheer Sheikh, Vijay and others were present.