Latest update September 8th, 2024 12:38 AM
Oct 14, 2015 News
…no trained personnel to operate sensitive equipment – Hassan
The staff of the National Communication Network (NCN) at most levels, with the exception of four persons, had been kept in the dark about the presence of satellite uplink facilities lying still in plastic wrapping in the compound. According to an audit, it was only the former Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed ‘Fuzzy’ Sattaur, then Programme Manager Martin Goolsarran, the Finance Controller and a technician Kenneth Jones, who were aware of the presence of the multi-million dollar equipment.
Sattaur resigned from his post at NCN following a massive corruption scandal that rocked the entity. The scandal involved millions from the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T).
Goolsarran was also suspended after it was discovered that he had deposited millions of dollars from the GT&T transaction, into his personal bank account. He subsequently resigned his post.
Recently appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NCN, Molly Hassan, has since said that there was no plan documented for the use of the equipment which also includes nine satellite dishes. The dishes, used in the down link aspect of the project, are currently lying in the compound.
The monies for the purchase, according to Hassan, came from NCN’s 2013 Capital Budget but the equipment was identified in 2012. It began arriving early 2013. Ms Hassan when contacted for an update into the brouhaha, said that there is currently no staff at the NCN that can operate the sensitive equipment.
According to Hassan, the company will now have to conduct an evaluation of the pieces of equipment and secure the services of competent personnel to bring the facility online.
Kaieteur News, since the discovery of the satellite uplink facilities purchased two years ago and capable of broadcasting ‘The Learning Channel,’ has learnt too that it can be made operable in as little as two weeks. However, specialists have dubbed this as hopelessly false and inaccurate.
Kaieteur News over the weekend broke the news that NCN had purchased the equipment two years ago but the then government instead of using it, opted to continue to pay TVG 28, now owned by Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop, $3.6M monthly, to broadcast The Learning Channel.
Further, this publication has since learnt that not only does NCN own its satellite uplink, it is also capable of having any event occurring locally broadcast live not only across Guyana but throughout the Caribbean Region and even in North America.
This publication was told that while there is currently not in train any plans to have the equipment brought online with any haste, it will be made operational by the end of the year. The contract with TVG 28 comes to an end in December and the administration has already signaled its intention to not have the contract renewed.
The present coalition Government, when it was in the Opposition had accused the previous administration of deliberately positioning TVG and Ramroop to receive $3.6M monthly ($43.2M annually) for transmitting the signals.
“What this means is that the previous government had been knowingly paying $3.6M a month to the Ramroop Group (owner of TVG) when these monies could have been paid to NCN instead,” an incensed Senior government functionary told Kaieteur News over the weekend. In April 2011, months before he ended his constitutional two terms in office, former President Jagdeo announced the launch of The Learning Channel.
That same month, the then government also announced that it will be using Cable Channel 80 as The Learning Channel for broadcasts in the city and its environs. Different frequencies are being used for outlying areas.
Details of the deal with TVG were not made known until two years later, in April 2013, when former Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, in response to questions by then Opposition Member of Parliament Jaipaul Sharma, disclosed that $3.6M was being paid monthly to Ramroop’s TVG.
TVG, it has been reported, collected $70M in 2011 (some $5.83 million per month) for the transmission of the channel throughout the country, using a dish network receiver system for remote communities.
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