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ISLAMABAD, Jan 02 (APP):The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting voiced strong concern over the PTV management’s failure to present a viable business plan or explore alternative revenue streams to meet its financial obligations, following the discontinuation of licence fee collection through electricity bills.
The National Assembly Standing Committee, chaired by MNA Pullain Baloch, met at PTV Headquarters in Islamabad on Friday and observed that the state broadcaster cannot sustain its operating and staff expenses solely through government grants.
The Committee taking stock of the issue appointed a 4-memebrs Sub-Committee under Convenership of one of its Member 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, Ms Kiran Imran Dar, Ms Asia Naz Tanoli, Ms Romina Khurshid Alam, Ms Kiran Haider, Ms Shaheen, Ms Sehar Kamran, Syed Amin Ul Haque, Ms Rana Ansar, Molana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, DG, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and other officers of departments under Ministry.