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ISRO to release ANTRIX-DEVAS reports
Tue, 01/31/2012 - 04:15
Bangalore, Jan 31 (IBNS) Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on Tuesday said it is trying to get clearance to release the reports by two committees that were set up to review the controversial Antrix-Devas deal.
In a media release, ISRO said: "Dr. K. Radhakrishnan, Chairman, ISRO and Secretary,
Department of Space stated that the Department is in the process of getting necessary clearances for releasing the Reports of the two Committees.."
The two committees are the High Powered Review Committee set up by Government on February 10, 2011 (with B.K. Chaturvedi and Prof. Roddam Narasimha as Members), and the High Level Team set up by Government on May 31, 2011 (chaired by Pratyush Sinha) to examine various aspects of the ANTRIX-DEVAS Agreement of January 2005.
Former ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair and three other space scientists were blacklisted from all government jobs recently.
The disciplinary action against one of the most famous Indian scientists, who was the force behind India's maiden moon mission Chandrayan I, was in connection with his alleged controversial role in a deal between ISRO's commercial wing Antrix and Devas Multimedia that had made the S-band available to the later at a low price.
Nair said he would challenge the order in court as the probe into the episode is yet to be completed.
He said present chairman K Radhakrishnan has misled the government on the whole issue and was behind the action.
The Antrix-Devas deal had left the union government embarrassed as it had emerged that the contract under which the scarce S-band spectrum was allotted to Devas at a throwaway price was not scrapped even more than a year after different departments within the government had detected lapses in it.
The deal was annulled later after a media expose created an outcry. Headed by K Radhakrishnan, who is now the chairman of ISRO, the Space Commission also decided to restructure Antrix.
Antrix had signed a deal with Devas Multimedia in 2005 to build two satellites on which Devas would lease transponders in India.
Bundled into the deal was 70 MHz of S-Band spectrum which was grossly underpriced priced at Rs 1000 crore.
ISRO ordered a review in December 2009 and subsequently, the Space Commission recommended its annulment on July 2, 2010, but the deal was not annulled immediately.
In a media release, ISRO said: "Dr. K. Radhakrishnan, Chairman, ISRO and Secretary,
Department of Space stated that the Department is in the process of getting necessary clearances for releasing the Reports of the two Committees.."
The two committees are the High Powered Review Committee set up by Government on February 10, 2011 (with B.K. Chaturvedi and Prof. Roddam Narasimha as Members), and the High Level Team set up by Government on May 31, 2011 (chaired by Pratyush Sinha) to examine various aspects of the ANTRIX-DEVAS Agreement of January 2005.
Former ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair and three other space scientists were blacklisted from all government jobs recently.
The disciplinary action against one of the most famous Indian scientists, who was the force behind India's maiden moon mission Chandrayan I, was in connection with his alleged controversial role in a deal between ISRO's commercial wing Antrix and Devas Multimedia that had made the S-band available to the later at a low price.
Nair said he would challenge the order in court as the probe into the episode is yet to be completed.
He said present chairman K Radhakrishnan has misled the government on the whole issue and was behind the action.
The Antrix-Devas deal had left the union government embarrassed as it had emerged that the contract under which the scarce S-band spectrum was allotted to Devas at a throwaway price was not scrapped even more than a year after different departments within the government had detected lapses in it.
The deal was annulled later after a media expose created an outcry. Headed by K Radhakrishnan, who is now the chairman of ISRO, the Space Commission also decided to restructure Antrix.
Antrix had signed a deal with Devas Multimedia in 2005 to build two satellites on which Devas would lease transponders in India.
Bundled into the deal was 70 MHz of S-Band spectrum which was grossly underpriced priced at Rs 1000 crore.
ISRO ordered a review in December 2009 and subsequently, the Space Commission recommended its annulment on July 2, 2010, but the deal was not annulled immediately.
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