Contract with PTC ends today, SGPC in a fix over Gurbani telecast

“We have requested PTC to continue telecasting Gurbani. We are awaiting their response. SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami will take the final decision on this on Sunday,” said Harbhajan Singh, spokesman for SGPC. He was replying to a specific query on whether SGPC will pay from its pocket for live telecast of Gurbani on PTC.

The SGPC had entered into an agreement with G-Next Media Pvt Ltd on July 24, 2012, for 11 years for the live telecast of Gurbani. The contract ends on July 23, 2023. The company had agreed to pay the SGPC Rs 1 crore per annum with a proposal of a 10 per cent annual increase in the fee. This money is transferred to the education fund of SGPC. As per its contract, the PTC transferred Rs 2 crore to SGPC’s education fund last year.

A few days ago, Dhami said that they will launch a YouTube channel for the broadcast of Gurbani from July 24. Dhami had also announced that the SGPC will launch its own satellite channel and will be applying for its license.

On Friday, the SGPC appealed to the management of GNext Media to continue the Gurbani broadcast from Harmandir Sahib until the Sikh body’s own satellite channel is established. It said it was making the request “in view of the sentiments of the Sikh community” and the order given to Akal Takht Jathedar Raghubir Singh. The SGPC said the arrangement has been made as it would not be possible to broadcast Gurbani in every household through YouTube as Internet facility is not available everywhere.

Having no experience in the field, the SGPC hired the services of a Delhi-based firm at Rs 12 lakh per month to launch and run its YouTube channel.

“We hired a new firm as we had no experience in the field. It was necessary for us. But if PTC agrees to continue the live telecast after the contract expires, then it can use its infrastructure to continue the live telecast, and SGPC can avoid spending Rs 12 lakh per month,” said an SGPC member.

Another SGPC member said that the PTC will be allowed to continue live telecast only on its satellite channel. “SGPC will use its own social media platforms for the live telecast of Gurbani. Earlier, PTC had all the rights, and it used to raise copyright issues if we used the content on our social media pages. But now, we have the sole rights to the Gurbani,” said the member.

However, SGPC is likely to face more trouble amid allegations that the Delhi firm it has hired for running the YouTube channel is linked with the PTC and the Badal family. Neither the PTC nor the Badal family have confirmed or denied these allegations. Soon after SGPC inked the deal with the Delhi firm, Congress leader and former deputy CM Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa alleged that the CEO of the company is close to the Badal family.

SGPC, in response, said that proper procedures were followed and tenders were invited before finalising the Delhi firm. Chief Minister Bhagwant has already asked why SGPC was eager to hand over the telecast rights of Gurbani to only one channel. “Instead of ensuring free-to-air telecast, the SGPC is trying to find a way to again give rights to the same channel just to appease a powerful family. It is strange that again the SGPC is on a dirty move to favour the blue-eyed channel of the Badals,” he said.