NEW DELHI: For nearly a year now, a Group of Ministers (GoM) has been studying Prasar Bharati to decide its fate. Primarily, the debate hinges on whether the public broadcaster should remain an autonomous organisation or return to its earlier incarnate as an arm of the Government.

But this indecisiveness seems to be reflecting on key decisions vis-à-vis Prasar Bharati, say insiders, as is evident from the number of vacancies on the Board. Nine posts in the 15-member Board, including crucial decision-making offices such as chief executive officer, member (personnel), member (finance) and Director-General Doordarshan, are vacant. Hence, no long-term planning can be done for the corporation; only AIR is functioning with some degree of cohesion.

In fact, it is about four months since K.S. Sarma retired as CEO. Still the process of finding a successor has not been set in motion. This apart, Doordarshan has been functioning without a full-time head since August 23 when Director-General Navin Kumar completed his tenure. While the post of member (personnel) has been vacant since March this year, that of member (finance) has been unoccupied for well over a year now.

Besides, three posts of part-time members have been lying vacant for more than a year; two, in fact, date back to 2003. And two posts of representatives of Prasar Bharati employees have not been filled in the decade-long existence of the Broadcasting Corporation of India. The reason: Prasar Bharati employees — those recruited afresh after the Corporation came into existence — number only 1,675.

A majority of those working in AIR and Doordarshan — 37,174 of them — are on deputation from the Government to Prasar Bharati. And the rules mandate that election to the post of representatives of employees on the Board can be held only after the services of employees are transferred to Prasar Bharati .

The transfer has not been possible because the service rules — though framed — have not been notified till date.

"Prasar Bharati has not reached that point where it can ask its staff on deputation to exercise the option of transferring to the public broadcaster or returning to the Government," said an insider.

An added grouse of those working with the public broadcaster is that they neither enjoy the benefits of government employees nor have access to the kind of perks and facilities of their counterparts in public sector undertakings or corporations because of the prevailing uncertainty indecisiveness.

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