DD has 50 stations headless but 4 heads at Srinagar Kendra

After 18 years of home stay and 3 transfer cancellations, Mrs Shair wants to head DDK Srinagar till retirement

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Jul 4: While dancing to the tune of mainstream politicians in Jammu and Kashmir and keeping their organizational patrons in New Delhi in good humour with everything from cash to kind, Kashmiri officials of Doordarshan have managed their stay in the home state for years and decades together in brazen disregard to transfer policy. Even as 50 out of 64 stations in the country are currently headless and are being looked after by engineers or programme executives as a stop-gap arrangement, there are as many as four officers of the rank of Station Director at Doordarshan Kendra (DDK) Srinagar.

Established nearly 60 years ago, DD has now 21 major Kendras, 29 Kendras and 14 Programme Generation Facilities (PGFs) in the country. Each of these stations is supposed to be headed by an officer of the rank of Station Director. While a major Kendra has to be headed by a senior Station Director of the rank of Deputy Director General of Programme (Rs 37400—Rs 67000 Grade pay Rs 8700) and a mid-level Kendra by an officer of the rank of Director of Programme (Rs 15600—Rs 39100 Grade Pay Rs 7600), lowest level stations, known as PGFs, must be headed by officers of the rank of Deputy Director of Programme (Rs 15600—Rs 39100 Grade Pay 5400).

Authoritative sources in Prasar Bharti Broadcasting Corporation of India and Directorate General of Doordrashan revealed to Early Times that out of 64, as many as 50 stations in the country were currently being manned by non-programme or junior programme staff like Station Engineers and Programme Executives. Some of the stations were being run by Transmission Executives. Nineteen-year-long recruitment holiday in DD as well as All India Radio is said to be the main reason behind non-availability of incumbents.

However, at stations like in Srinagar, pampered officials have managed to stay for years and decades with the blessings of mainstream politicians (who are normally beneficiaries of excessive news coverage) and patronage of senior officials from DD headquarters, PBBCI and union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. As against the requirement of one Station Director (Director of Programme), there are currently one DDG Programme and three DDPs posted at DDK Srinagar.

With the Director of Station Dr Rafeeq Masoodi (lately designated, alongwith dozens others, as DDGP without any physical or notional promotion) being under transfer to Directorate of General of Dooradrshan, Mrs Shammi Shair, Syed Zeeshan Fazil and Qayoom Wadera are all holding the rank of DDP. Zeeshan and Wadera have returned to the home state after years of posting in New Delhi and other states but Mrs Shair has remained posted at DDK Srinagar continuously since 1993.

Informed sources revealed that since her joining DD around 1980 as a newscaster, daughter of then News Editor Habibullah Shair has served only for two years outside Kashmir valley. After her two-year-stint in New Delhi, she returned to Srinagar in 1993 and has remained continuously posted here. These sources revealed that orders of transfer were issued for Mrs Shair as many as three times in the last 18 years but all the three times she managed to get the orders modified/cancelled and thus ensured her stay in Srinagar.

Even as being a woman producer was stated to be the reason, nobody in Shastri Bhawan or Mandi House listened to non-J&K female officials and engineers when they pleaded inability to work in a “dangerous conflict zone”. Even presently, a woman from a different state, who is close to her superannuation, is heading the engineering wing at DDK in Srinagar.

On the other hand, Kashmiri female officials like Hafeeza Kausar were shifted from Srinagar to other states and were never allowed to return to home state till their retirement from service. Mrs Shehzadi Simon was transferred back to Srinagar after serving at Delhi and other stations for over 25 years. A couple of years before her retirement, she got the privilege of posting in her hometown. Presently, at least three female officials, namely Sudesh Bakshi, Haleema Parveen and Kausar Praveen, all residents of Srinagar, are serving in different states of the country.

When DD issued the last transfer order of Mrs Shair in March this year, as usual she got it changed with just a visit to New Delhi. DDG (Administration) asked her to return and enjoy in Srinagar till her retirement. “She may be excluded from the list”, recorded the DDG Administration on file without any hesitation. It was this time around that Zeeshan and Wadera were posted back in Srinagar. Officials at Directorate General of Doordrashan and Prasar Bharti have also dumped all complaints against Mrs Shair in the dustbin. These complaints included swindling of funds worth Crores of Rupees provided by union Ministry of Agriculture for production and telecast of a daily farming programme, titled “krishi darshan”.

Sources said that Mrs Shair’s patrons in New Delhi were now planning to appoint her as Director of DDK Srinagar despite plethora of complaints and resentment from artists, private producers, inhouse staff and others in Jammu & Kashmir.

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