GUWAHATI: Producers in India's northeast commissioned by the state-run Doordarshan television channel held a protest rally Wednesday seeking immediate payment of dues totalling Rs 2.6 billion.

"More than 500 producers belonging to the region have not been paid their dues despite submitting their programmes and completing other formalities," a spokesman of the Northeast Television Producers Guild said.

The demonstrators handed over a memorandum to a senior Doordarshan official in Guwahati.

The spokesman said the ministry of information and broadcasting had commissioned private producers to make several documentaries aimed at projecting the region notorious for insurgency in a positive light.

"The money for the commissioned programme was part of the prime minister's special package for the northeast and even after completion of programmes, New Delhi is not clearing the payments," the spokesman said.

"This is against the very essence of the exclusive package. For the people of the region, you need to fight and shout for everything, including your dues," he added.

Doordarshan authorities here say they are yet to get the funds from New Delhi, and hence the delay.

"We are paying high rates of interest for bank guarantees required by us to acquire the commissioned programmes. Non-payment of our dues by Doordarshan is adding to our woes," complained M. Das, a young producer.