I&B Ministry takes note of DD official’s fraudulent behaviour

Producer Shami Shair’s Oct 20^th letter antedated on July 15^th to subvert RTI

Early Times Report

SRINAGAR, Nov 24: Taking strong notice of Doordarshan Kendra Srinagar Executive Producer Shami Shair’s fraudulent behaviour, aimed at subverting Right to Information, union Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has not only decided to stop the official’s promotion but also directed DDK authorities to immediately furnish the information to a Jammu-based petitioner under intimation to Shastri Bhawan.

In his petition dated 13-09-2010, RTI activist and leading lawyer, advocate Sheikh Shakil Ahmed, had submitted a formal complaint to Minister incharge I&B, Ms Ambika Soni, and sought her intervention in the matter of denial of information to him by DDK Srinagar authorities. The petitioner had written to the Minister in detail how DDK Srinagar Director, Dr Rafeeq Masoodi, and Public Information Officer, Shabir Mujahid, had been continuously denying him information which he had sought under the central RTI Act 2005 on 19-03-2010.

In the backdrop of large scale bungling by DDK Srinagar officials, ddvocate Shakil had demanded details of the funds provided and claimed to have been spent during Dr Masoodi’s tenure on account of producing in-house programmes by seven particular producers, namely Shami Shair, Kausar Parveen, Haleema Parveen, Swadesh Bakhshi, Mufti Riyaz, Rasheed Javed and Zeeshan Fazil. He had also sought antecedents and addresses of the purported facility providers on whose name payments had been claimed and made in the last two years.

Under the law, DDK Srinagar authorities were supposed to provide complete information to the petitioner within 28 days. However, they ignored not only the petition but also repeated reminders from the petitioner for several months. In fact, one-odd response from PIO Shabir Mujahid made it clear to the petitioner that no information could be provided to him as long as there was “disturbance” in the Valley.

Following a contemptuous treatment to his petition, advocate Shakil sought intervention of the Minister I&B who advised Prasar Bharti Broadcasting Corporation of India and directed Directorate General of Doordarshan to ensure that the information sought under RTI was furnished to the petitioner immediately.

Under Secretary in I&B Ministry, Atyanand, vide his No: 4001/26/2010-BC-I Dated 28-09-2010, communicated to the petitioner that the Ministry had taken cognizance of his petition that had been forwarded to PBBCI and Directorate General of Doordarshan for immediate necessary action. Subsequently, PBBCI’s Director (Technical) & Chief Public Information Officer, George Kuruvilla, directed DDG Ashok Jailkhani to ensure that the information sought was provided to the petitioner. Thereafter, Appellate Authority and DDG Ashok Jailkhani, vide his No: DDG(AJ)/Misc(5)RTI/2010 Dated 11-10-2010, directed Dr Rafeeq Masoodi to ensure that the information was supplied to the petitioner within one month.

Even after such express orders and directions from Ministry of I&B, PBBCI and Directorate General of Doordarshan, Director DDK Srinagar, Dr Masoodi, asked his subordinate Executive Producer, Shami Shair, to send some 50 pages of any irrelevant information to the petitioner and mention the date of July 15^th on the forwarding letter so as to pretend to the headquarters in New Delhi that the needful had been done. As per Dr Masoodi’s instructions, Shami Shair mentioned No: DKS/EP(SS)/2010 and Date: 15-07-2010 on the forwarding letter and posted an irrelevant plethora of papers to the petitioner on 20-10-2010. As clear from the post office seal and confirmed by the officials, Shami Shair actually dispatched this antedated letter on 20-10-2010 at Post Office Lalchowk.

However, advocate Shakil returned entire consignment of the 50 pages of completely irrelevant information, alongwith Shami Shair’s fraudulently antedated letter to Minister incharge I&B and sought only departmental action but also a high level inquiry into the conduct and irregularities being committed by DDK Srinagar officials without any fear of law.

Well-placed sources at Directorate General of Doordarshan revealed to Early Times today that the Ministry had taken strong notice of Dr Rafeeq Masoodi’s and Shami Shair’s fraudulent behaviour in seeking to mislead the highest authorities at Shastri Bhawan and Mandi House and a cheap method of subverting the RTI. Sources said that Shami Shair’s promotion, currently under process, was being stopped and she was being asked to explain her conduct in disregarding the Ministry’s, PBBCI’s and DG Doordarshan’s instructions. Her patrons in New Delhi have, nevertheless, begun efforts to prevent action against her and her boss in Srinagar.

Under orders of Ms Ambika Soni, Under Secretary in Ministry of I&B, Atyanand, has now directed DDG Ashok, vide No: 4001/26/2010-BC-I Dated 18-11-2010 to ensure that the information was supplied to the petitioner at an earliest. “I am to request that necessary action may please be taken to furnish the desired information to Sh Sheikh Shakil Ahmed sought under RTI Act under intimation to this Ministry”, Atyanand has written to Jailkhani. DDG has, in turn, directed DDK Srinagar authorities to comply with the headquarters’ orders partly within 15 days and fully within 30 days.

END