GoM meet on P B staff inconclusive; Govt may ask for more time

New Delhi, July 13 (UNI) The over 40,000 employees of All India Radio and Doordarshan may have to wait for some more time to know their final status as the high power Group of Ministers headed by Home Minister Shivraj Patil, which today met to discuss the issue, is likely to ask for more time from the Supreme Court to take a final decision.

The Supreme Court, in early February, had directed the government to decide within six months (by first week of August), the status of over 40,000 All India Radio and Prasar Bharati employees, who have been demanding that they be given the option to go back to the government or remain with the corporation, a provision contained in the Prasar Bharati Act, 1990 itself.

The meeting was attended by Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi, Minister for Urban Development Jaipal Reddy, Minister for Panchayati Raj Manishankar Aiyar, Minister of State for Personnel and Parliamentary Affairs Suresh Pachauri and Minister for Culture Ambika Soni besides the Home Minister himself.

The Minister for Information and Broadcasting refused to say anything on the outcome of the meeting, saying ''ethics says no briefing after GoM meetings''.

However, Mr Reddy said the meeting was inconclusive.

Later official sources indicated that the government many not be able to meet the August deadline for deciding on the issue, and so may move the court for more time.

''The idea has been crystalised, and now the Secretary, Ministry of Personnel would be asked to apprise the court,'' sources said.

The issue had been referred to a high-level Committee of Officers after the Supreme Court dirctive.

As per Section 11 of the Prasar Bharati Act, an option has to be given to the employees to remain with the broadcaster or go back to the government.

The Committee of Secretaries, which had been appointed to study the issue, is learnt to have given its report to the GoM, sources said.

UNI