| NEW
DELHI: Former bureaucrat Bhaskar Ghose has quit as chief executive of Lok Sabha
Television and will relinquish charge by the end of the May.
Confirming
the news, Ghose told Indiantelevision.com that he had been under pressure
for some time from his family to leave LS TV which he has been heading from the
days it was conceived in late 2005. Ghose,
who has earlier served as director general of Doordarshan and also secretary in
the information and broadcasting ministry, says he took the decision soon after
he turned 70.
A well-known theatre personality, Ghose says that putting
in his papers as CEO of LS TV also means he will no longer work as media advisor
to the Speaker.
He said he had decided to spend more time pursuing other
things like writing books and working on stage.
The LS TV was conceived
by Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, who had initially asked Doordarshan to
run the channel. However, it is understood that he had to look elsewhere when
he was unable to get clearance for the budget demanded by the public broadcaster
for running the channel. Ghose
took over as the founder chief executive of the channel, which had a trial run
from 10 to 23 May, 2006, before the formal launch from the monsoon session that
year commencing from 24 July.
The channel functions as a part of the
Lok Sabha secretariat’s Audio Visual Unit.
Ghose expressed dismay
at reports indicating he had been ‘edged out’ of the channel, reiterating
he had resigned on health grounds.
During his professional career, Ghose
had also worked as Secretary to the West Bengal Government and Secretary to the
Chief Minister of that state, apart from serving as Additional Secretary (Department
of Kashmir Affairs), Secretary in the Culture Ministry, and President of the Commonwealth
Broadcasting Association. He has been a member of Yatrik, one of the oldest theatre
groups in Delhi and has directed or acted in more than 50 plays. | 
