Prasar Bharati turns down request by Delhi Assembly Speaker

The Prasar Bharati has turned down Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel’s request to continue the services of Prasanna Kumar Suryadevara as Vidhan Sabha secretary on a permanent basis.

Mr Suryadevara, newsreader-cum-translator with the All-India Radio, was on July 17 last year appointed as the Vidhan Sabha secretary for a period of one year.

In a letter to deputy secretary (services) Anupma Chakravorty, AIR’s deputy director (administration) V. Sripathi said there has been no recruitment for years in the AIR which has led to acute shortage of staff in all cadres—particularly newsreaders-cum-translators.

He said that since AIR was in dire need of experienced professionals like Mr Suryadevara, the directorate has expressed its inability to concur with the desire of the Speaker for the absorption of the said officer.

Mr Sripathi said that Mr Suryadevara’s deputation has already elapsed on July 16 and requested that the officer be relieved and repatriated immediately with the directions to report to the directorate-general of AIR.

On June 21, the Assembly Speaker had requested the Delhi government that Mr Suryadevara be posted on a permanent basis as the Vidhan Sabha secretary. Deputy Secretary (services) Anupama Chakravorty had conveyed the Speaker’s request to the AIR D-G.

Before moving to Delhi Assembly, Mr Suryadevara served Lok Sabha for five years and Rajya Sabha for over six years.