A day after allowing Star News to stay on air for the fourth time in the last one month, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry today sent content provider Media Content and Communication Services Ltd (MCCS) scurrying for more replies to questions left unanswered.Ministry officials said the responses furnished yesterday to its 15 questions have left more questions unanswered. On top is the query on actual investments made by individual MCCS shareholders. The Ministry has asked for details of investments made by individual MCCS shareholders — specially after Kumarmangalam Birla who held 25 per cent stake in MCCS relinquished his stake a few days ago.The remaining Indian shareholders with 74 per cent stake are Suhel Seth (30 per cent) Hemendra Kothari (25 per cent), R. Karanjawala (4 per cent) Hindustan Times editor Vir Sanghvi (5 per cent), Maya Alagh (5 per cent) and Jeetendra (5 per cent). Star holds 26 per cent stake in the company.‘‘We would like to know the details of investments made by all individuals mentioned,’’ Ministry officials said.Officials also said they wanted details of the three companies from which MCCS was outsourcing its news operations, namely Touch Telecontent, Rentworks Ltd and Hughes Electronics Communications Ltd, and the activities to be undertaken by these companies to fund news operations of MCCS.Officials said the question was being asked in light of the narrow paid up capital of Rs 1 lakh that MCCS has shown as well as interlinkages between the companies.Officials also said that the name of the present owner of MCCS had not been furnished. The Ministry has also asked MCCS to furnish details of the number of offices and the staff in the offices. MCCS has also been asked to explain how it could mop up Rs 20.2 crore as revenues in the last three months.It was only last week the Ministry had asked detailed questions on the MCCS’s shareholding pattern, its source of funding, the voting rights of its directors and total cost of news operations.MCCS has been asked to come with its replies soon. Even with these replies, Star News will become permanent only after obtaining clearance from the Ministries of Home and Telecommunications.
