Committee appointed to review Antrix Devas deal on S-band spectrum

NEW DELHI - The Government on Thursday formed a two-member panel to look into the technical aspects of the controversial S-band spectrum allocation.he panel, headed by B K Chaturvedi, Member, Planning Commission, will review the technical, commercial, procedural and financial aspects of the agreement between Antrix and Devas Multimedia Pvt. Ltd.

The panel will also review the adequacy of procedures and approval processes followed by Antrix, ISRO and Department of Space, and suggest improvements and changes.

The Committee has been asked to submit its recommendations to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh within one month.

On Tuesday, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) issued a statement which denied reports that a private company has been allotted a whopping 70MHZ of spectrum for barely Rs. 1000 crore through a deal with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), which reports directly to the Prime Minister.

In a statement issued here, the PMO clarified that no decision has been taken by the Government to allocate space segment using S Band Spectrum to ANTRIX Corporation or Devas Multimedia.

“Hence, the question of revenue loss does not arise and any such reports are without basis in fact,” the statement added.

The Comptroller and Auditor Generals office and the Department of Space have already issued statements giving the factual position.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has criticised the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government at the Centre, claiming that the reply of the PMO on the S-Band deal is unsatisfactory.

It was reported in a section of the media on Monday that ANTRIX Corporation, the commercial arm of ISRO entered into an agreement in 2005 with Devas Multimedia allowing use of 70 megahertz of S-band spectrum without inviting bids resulting in huge revenue loss to the exchequer. (ANI)