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| DDK Sgr has Rs 42 cr backlog, Rs 27 cr liability created in 2 months | | Officials shifted on complaint basis lobbying for Kashmir posting | | Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Dec 19: Embroiled in unprecedented backlog of Rs 42 Cr, Doordarshan Kendra (DDK) Srinagar has completely shut its doors for hundreds of private producers, drama artists, singers, musicians and other talents who gave their sweat and blood to keep this station functional in the last 21 years of insurgency. It has been astonishingly found that just four particular officials of the station have created huge liability of Rs 27 Cr while clandestinely approving so-called in-house programmes in favour of their favourites, allegedly on receiving bribe money, from May to July in 2011.
In a startling disclosure, Directorate General of Doordarshan in New Delhi has learned that three particular producers, in partnership with then Director of the station, have created a huge liability of Rs 27 Cr at DDK Srinagar by approving scores of in-house programme proposals of their favourites from middle of May to middle of July in current year. Even as three of the four tainted officials have been removed on complaint basis and posted at different stations, at least one of them has been assiduously lobbying to return to DDK Srinagar with the support of some officials at Mandi House and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Authoritative sources revealed to Early Times that immediately after learning about the transfer of then Director, Rafeeq Masoodi, to DD headquarters in May 2011, three of his confidante producers began secretly receiving and approving car-loads of proposals for so-called in-house programmes. All of these programme proposals actually belonged to private producers who got the same channelised through DD's "executive producers" after the bribe money was fixed and part of it was paid to the officials in advance. The beneficiaries have shown dozens of their family members, relatives, friends and others, including domestic helps and drivers, as "facility providers".
Sources revealed that tapes of some of these scandalously approved programmes were even received from the beneficiary private producers. While as some of these programmes were expeditiously scheduled and some episodes even telecast, tapes of scores of these programmes were still on cupboards of DDK Srinagar. Nevertheless, 90% of these programmes were still under production when New Delhi learned about this scandal. Then DDG North, Ashok Jailkhani, got the process stalled with a direction to DDK Srinagar.
According to a communication sought from officiating Director of DDK Srinagar, Shami Shair, by Directorate General of DD, just three of the senior officials of DDK Srinagar were found to have approved so-called in-house programmes to the tune of Rs 9 Crore each in just two months from May to July. Mandi House initiated a tough action and got then Director of DDK Srinagar unceremoniously removed and posted on an insignificant position at the headquarters. Following then station Director's transfer, Mandi House and Ministry of I&B got two more senior officials removed from DDK Srinagar. Fourth one is still posted in Srinagar but not holding any key portfolio.
Officiating Director, Shami Shair, refused to make comments or share details. When insisted to reveal whether it was a fact or merely a wild allegation that three particular officials had created huge liability of Rs 27 Cr in just two months around the transfer of then Station Director, Rafeeq Masoodi, she confirmed that she had sent a detailed liability statement to Directorate General of Doordarshan. She confirmed that DDK Srinagar was faced with stupendous backlog of Rs 42 Cr and much of it had been created in the middle of 2011.
However, another DDK official privy to the communication confirmed that just three officials had approved hundreds of proposals of their favourites clandestinely and thus created Rs 27 Cr worth liability. "But, all these tapes and programme files are now decaying in sealed gunny bags. This fraudulent process has been stopped under orders of Mandi House", he added.
Sources revealed that Masoodi's transfer was followed by shifting of two of his key confidants. One of the duo, according to sources, was shifted when Deputy Director General of Engineering at DDK Srinagar and then Head of Office, Anuradha Agarwal, furnished a memorandum to Mandi House in August 2011. In the memorandum addressed to the Deputy Director of Programmes (DDP), with a copy to headquarters, Agarwal recorded that the official had misbehaved with her and "tried to disrupt the National Flag hoisting ceremony on August 15, 2011".
"Your action indicates deliberate attempt to sabotage the National Flag Hoisting ceremony on the Independence Day as well as smooth functioning of the Kendra and raises doubts about your integrity", DDG Engineering recorded in the memo addressed to the DDP. Sources today insisted that the same official was lobbying hard to return to DDK Srinagar. He has reportedly spread word in Mandi House that a senior official of J&K Affairs in union Ministry of Home Affairs had assured him that he would be shifted and posted back at DDK Srinagar.
According to sources, all the four tainted officials, including three shifted earlier this year, were under tremendous pressure of their favoured private producers to return the money they had collected from them on account of approving their in-house programmes. "Now that Mandi House had got the process stalled, why should they retain our money?" asked a freelance producer who had no hesitation to admit that he had paid a handsome amount as "advance payment". He asserted that in case his payment was not returned, he would approach CBI and CVC and reveal all details of Rs 27 Cr scandal". |
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