STRESSES FOR A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR REVIVAL OF SRBC FOR SAVING ITS EMPLOYEES FROM BEING RENDERED JOBLESS: NA COMMITTEE
Islamabad :  Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting has expressed its serious concern on inaction of the PTV Management to bring forward a business plan and alternate revenue streams to meet its financial expenses after discontinuation of collection of PTV licence fee through electricity bills. The Committee was of the view that PTV could not survive on government grants while meeting its operating and employees related expenses. The Committee met under the Chairmanship of Pullain Baloch, MNA in PTV Headquarters.
The Committee taking stock of the issue appointed a 4-memebrs Sub-Committee under Convenership of one of its Member Mr. Nadeem Abbas to discuss the issue related to devising a comprehensive business plan for PTV, sustained payment of salaries and to identify factors and people leading to its present financial woes. The Committee had also been mandated to gauge the performance of PTV sports, its revenue portfolio and performance appraisal of the Head of PTV Sports who had been hired on heavy salary package.
The Committee also expressed its concerns on the present state of Shalimar Recording and Broadcasting Company, presently under liquidation on the orders of Islamabad High Court. The Liquidator appointed by the Court apprised the Committee that if the government failed to bring a revival plan for SRBC within two months as assured by the Minister for Information in a recent court hearing, they would have no other option except to wind up the Company. He informed that only fifty employees had been retained and the rest of them had been laid off due to financial position of the Company. The Director General, Ministry of Information apprised the Committee that Ministry had submitted a proposal to the Committee constituted by the Prime Minister under his Advisor on Political Affairs to examine the pending liabilities of the Organization and a plan for its revival. He said the proposal was pending for discussion and decision, thereon. The Committee asked the Ministry to pursue the issue so that no employee of the company was rendered jobless.
The Committee expressed its satisfaction on the compliance report submitted by the Director General, PBC on the issue of a halted PSDP project in Karachi. The Committee directed for submission of a bi-monthly report on the progress of the project. The Director General, PBC informed that on the recommendation of the Standing Committee a technical committee comprising Technical Experts, PBC engineers and officials of the Ministry for assessing condition of the equipment lying in containers since more than a decade. He informed that the said committee had recommended that the technology was in vogue and the equipment was in good condition which could be installed. He assured that the periodic progress in that regard would be presented to the Committee.
               The meeting was attended by MNAs; Nadeem Abbas, Kiran Imran Dar, Asia Naz Tanoli, Romina Khurshid Alam, Kiran Haider, Shaheen, Sehar Kamran, Syed Amin Ul Haque, Rana Ansar, Molana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, DG, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and other officers of departments under Ministry.
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
