NEW DELHI, SEPT 26: The Government had touted it as an entertainment channel aimed at ``integrating the people of Jammu and Kashmir'' with the rest of India. A channel specifically aimed at countering Pakistani propaganda on PTV. But less than a year after it went on air, an internal report on DD Kashir reads like a doomsday observation.``The issue of the full impact of the Kashir channel could not be gauged at a meeting held last month as at present, it is not carrying out its full activities,'' the report states.This, despite the fact that the Government has indicated its willingness to appoint former Principal Information Officer to the Government of India, Ram Mohan Rao, to give the channel a ``new direction''.Direction apart, what really ails the channel is the non-delivery of promised funds and allegations ranging from granting lucrative programming contracts to cooks and spare-parts' dealers to large-scale corruption among senior officials in the Valley.According to the report: ``Proposals for the Kashir channel received after March 2000 have not been processed for lack of money. Out of the earmarked Rs 90-crore budget, only Rs 20 crore has been made available. With only two-and-half-months left for winter, all activities in the state will get affected and it will be difficult for producers to shoot due to inclement weather.''This, it would seem, is enough for officials in Delhi to state that it is time to bury Kashir. Due to the cash crunch, it will hardly be able to sustain itself beyond the next four months. ``Most of the programmes selected have not yet started production due to lack of payment,'' the report says. This means that programmes will have to be recycled if the channel is to be kept on air and officials admit that the six hours of fresh programming could be a distant dream. Presently, in the 16 hours of programmes, private software providers like UTV, Star TV, ZEE and Sony supply nearly two-and-a-half hours of programming for free, while repeat programmes from DD's archives fill up another four hours. To add to the DD officials' woes, the Jammu and Kashmir Action Committee of Television Artistes has alleged that assignments worth crores of rupees have been allotted to people who have no background in television, leaving genuine producers disappointed. The organisation has also levelled corruption charges against senior officials in the state.And while officials in Delhi acknowledge it is difficult to check the credentials of producers, it is understood that a separate team of officials will be looking into the ration cards of producers aspiring to produce quality programmes for Kashir.When Bollywood descended on Kashmir to formally inaugurate Kashir just three months ago, expectations ran high. The Centre had assured it of full financial support since it was meant to counter propaganda from across the border. Three months down the line, a Cabinet note on Kashir observes that for the schemes to be implemented in the shortest possible time it is necessary to have a fast-track clearance mechanism to procure equipment etc. So far, there has been no action taken to ensure speedy allocation and delivery of funds.
