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| DD's DDG Rafeeq Masoodi placed under suspension | | CEO's action sequel to approval of Rs 52 Cr worth programmes in 3 months at DDK Srinagar, wrong facts about casual labours | | Early Times Report
srinagar, July 12: Doordarshan's Deputy Director General (DDG) Dr Rafeeq Masoodi has been finally placed under suspension on account of fraudulent approval to inhouse programmes to the tune of Rs 52 Cr in just three months of the year 2011 and projection of wrong facts regarding engagement of casual labours at Doordarshan Kendra (DDK) Srinagar.
In his first meeting with a delegation of private producers and directors here on Wednesday, Prasar Bharti's Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Jawahar Sircar, revealed that former Director of DDK Srinagar and presently DDG at DD's New Delhi quarters, Dr Rafeeq Masoodi, had been placed under suspension on account of gross irregularities in allotment and approval of inhouse programmes and engagement of casual labours in Srinagar. CEO told the delegation of local television producers that he had taken the first serious action against the delinquent official before his departure for Srinagar the other day.
CEO of Prasar Bharti, Directors General of Doordarshan and All India Radio and a number of other senior officers and station heads of different stations of DD and AIR are in Srinagar in connection with the annual conference of the North Zone officers of the official electronic media. While assuring rectification of all wrongs at DDK Srinagar, CEO made it clear to the delegation of private producers that he would not brook "any more hanky panky" at the Srinagar station. The delegation, according to sources, explained to the CEO and other senior officials of DD that large scale irregularities had taken place in allotment, approval and payment of inhouse programmes at DDK Srinagar. They expressed their concern over heaping of liabilities in Crores in just three months of the year 2011 and demanded justice on the basis of a thorough inquiry.
It was pointed out to the CEO, who is in Srinagar for the first time, that some retired and serving officials of DD had plundered funds worth Crores of Rupees and the programmes allotted to different executive producers of DD actually belonged to members of a particular coterie of the officials. They alleged that these officials had drawn money in Crores in the name of their friends, relatives, acquaintances, neighbours and even their own drivers and domestic helps. A section of producers also registered their protest against the conduct of the incumbent Director of DDK Srinagar who, they alleged, had shut doors of DDK Srinagar since her joining as head of the station last year.
As previously reported in a series of investigative stories, exclusively by Early Times, before his transfer to New Delhi, then head of the DDK Srinagar, Dr Masoodi had clandestinely accorded approval to inhouse programmes to the tune of Rs 52 Cr in just three months of April, May and June 2011. Programmes worth Rs 27 Cr have been found to have approved or allotted in just one month of June 2011 when orders of Dr Masoodi's transfer were being or had been issued by Prasar Bharti.
Producers and many other sections associated with DD for the last several years, have been demanding thorough investigation in this loot-and-scoot with the serious accusations that 20 to 30% of the approved budget had been collected from each beneficiary before signing the approval. Some of these undercover beneficiaries are known to have delivered thousands of tapes in gunny bags and these are claimed to have been telecast "partly".
CBI has registered two FIRs against Dr Masoodi and two more separate inquiries were reportedly with Central Vigilance but neither the action has been taken in any of these "fully established cases" nor the official involved have been prosecuted for corruption and misuse of official position. It is for the first time that a senior officer of the rank of DDG has been placed under suspension.
Srinagar-based community of private producers, directors and artists has been considerably upset even with Dr Masoodi's successor and incumbent Director DDK Srinagar, Ms Shammi Shair, as she has failed to revive programme activity, telecast programmes of genuine producers and make payment to legitimate claims in the last one year of her posting as station director. |
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