A week after making a public announcement on takeover of the tainted Saradha group's two TV channels - Tara News and Tara Muzic - Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is yet to send a formal proposal to the Centre. However, if and when she does, the plan is likely to be rejected as rules do not permit any State Government to own or acquire a TV channel.
Information & Broadcasting Secretary Uday Verma told The Pioneer the up and down linking facility is provided only according to rules framed by the Union Cabinet and does not allow State Government-run TV channels.
He added that the Ministry would look into rules under which the West Bengal Government plans to take over the company. "All these are complex affairs, as ownership involved change in shareholding pattern," Verma pointed out.
According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) recommendations, the State Government cannot own a channel or multi system operators (MSOs) in any form, either directly or through any entity or PSUs.
In the past three to four years, the Ministry has received a number of proposals from various State Governments - including that of West Bengal and Gujarat - to launch channels, but none of them were allowed. Even the Tamil Nadu Government's request about its MSO Arasu is sub-judice at present, according to Verma.
Banerjee had, last Thursday, said she had decided to take over the two channels, in keeping with the wishes of the 168 employees. The Bengal Government has also decided to pay an ex-gratia of Rs 16,000 to each of the 168 channel employees from the current month.
Though the decision is aimed to help, it has been attracting flak from various quarters. Banerjee's political opponents - especially the left parties - have wondered on what ground the State Government has selected just two TV channels out of over ten media organisations being run by tainted Saradha group.
Moreover, they questioned the wastage of public money to acquire assets of a ponzi chit fund company whose owner Sudipta Sen is in jail and facing inquiry.
Bengal has the option of floating a fund to help the employees or help the TV channels to be taken over by some other private group, but the option of takeover by the Government itself is not feasible. The Tara channels closed down operations two months ago.