September 16, 2008	Tuesday	Ramazan 15, 1429

ISLAMABAD, Sept 15: A Senate committee criticised the system of collecting television licence fee through monthly electricity bills and urged the government to change the mode of fee collection.

The committee on information and broadcasting was informed that at present the state-run television earned Rs3 billion a year from the Rs25 per month paid by consumers through electricity bills. The fee is collected without assessing whether or not a consumer owns a TV set.Members of the committee also criticised the government for collecting the Rs25 fee even from consumers in far flung rural areas where television has no reach. Terming the method unjust and indiscriminate they said it needed to be stopped forthwith.

The committee called upon the government to collect the TV licence fee only from those consumers who availed themselves of the PTV service.

The appointment of Dr Shahid Masood as chairman and MD of the Pakistan Television on a lucrative package of salary and perks was also discussed at the request of PML-N Senator Saadia Abbasi.

Dr Masood made some harsh remarks against Ms Abbasi when she asked him a few questions. He later apologised for the remarks.

Dr Masood, who attended the meeting at the invitation of the committee, said he was not getting a package better than those of his predecessors. He said his total salary was Rs750,000 of which Rs150,000 was deducted as income tax, adding that the amount was much less than what he had been getting from private channels before joining the PTV.

He said he had accepted the challenge of turning the PTV around by making it an ‘earning organisation’ and not for the sake of personal gains or greed for more money.