Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Oct 18: The Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) today raided Doordarshan Kendra (DDK), Srinagar and seized records pertaining to multi-crore scam allegedly involving former Directors, Shami Shair and Rafiq Masoodi, and other top officials of the Kendra.
A CBI team today raided DDK Srinagar and seized records which Shami Shair had illegally locked in her room. Shair was removed as Director DDK, Srinagar last month after an audit team of the Government broadcasting corporation found her allegedly involved in multi-crore scam in DDK, Srinagar.
The CBI had sealed the room of the former Director last month after they found it locked despite her transfer. The former Director, however, seeing noose tightening around her had handed over the keys of her room to Director DDK Srinagar, Qayoom Wadera, soon after CBI sealed it.
The three member CBI team after opening the room reportedly recovered 1500 tapes and other relevant records. Sources said that these tapes are part of the former director’s illegally outsourced programmes. The CBI has also seized the other records from her room and they were photocopying it in the DDK, Srinagar till late in the evening.
The CBI team also questioned retired Programme Executive of DDK Srinagar, Ghulam Nabi Dar, who was re-employed by the Directorate of DD New Delhi three years back. Sources said that a big chunk of programmes that were illegally outsourced are in the name of Dar’s relatives.
Dar is thought to be close aide of former Director, Shami Shair, who has played major role in the part of scam in which Shair is allegedly involved. Shair reportedly got him re-employed by using her influence in the DD Directorate, New Delhi. She in league Dar had allegedly outsourced DDK, Srinagar programmes illegally to private producers. The seized programmes are reportedly yet to be broadcast.
Shair was removed as Director DDK, Srinagar on September 13 after a two member audit team of Directorate of Doordarshan New Delhi comprising Deputy Director and Section Officer found her allegedly involved in multi-crore scam in DDK, Srinagar.
The CBI is investigating around Rs 55 crore scam in the DDK, Srinagar in which former Directors’ of DDK Srinagar, Rafiq Masoodi and Shami Shair, and several other top officials, including at least 12 Producers, are allegedly involved.
These producers had done the alleged fraud in league with the former DDK Srinagar Directors’. Masoodi who was Deputy Director General (DDG) DD at New Delhi was suspended in July this year following the findings of his alleged involvement in multi-core scam by DD vigilance.
Masoodi was suspended for misappropriation of funds amounting to crores of rupees, allotting contracts without proper sanction and projection of wrong facts regarding engagement of casual labours at DDK Srinagar. Besides this, a Departmental inquiry had found that he had allegedly purchased 9000 segments for DD’s Current Affairs morning show in 2009 and 2010.
Sources said that there is back log of around Rs 30 crore of telecast programmes and around Rs 25 crore of produced programmes that are yet to be broadcast.
Sources said that the DDK, Srinagar officials have outsourced in-house programmes to get monitory benefits when there was no such requirement for outsourcing as the various facilities were available with the DDK, Srinagar. Around 80 private producers are the beneficiaries of these programmes that include chat shows, musical programmes, fictions and documentaries, produced between 2009 and 2012.
It may be mentioned here that 10 days ago the DD Vigilance issued show cause notices to 24 top DD officials regarding the outsourcing of programmes at the time when the DDK Srinagar facilities were available. According to guidelines, the programmes can be outsourced in case there are no facilities available with the Kendra or the facilities are busy.
Meanwhile, despite being suspended the former Director, Rafiq Masoodi, is trying to influence the director DDK Srinagar to telecast the programmes that were illegally outsourced during his tenure as the private producers are pressurizing him.
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