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The controversy surrounding Bob Woolmer’s death or India shocking loss to Bangladesh didn’t have much from West Indies on Doordarshan, the only television station that covers 85 per cent of India’s population.

Apparently for the first time, the country’s public broadcaster Doordarshan (DD) failed to send a team to cover the World Cup matches and the sidelights. This happened within a month of I&B minister PR Dasmunsi creating so much of noise about Nimbus sharing a seven-minute delayed feed with DD. The minister had termed the Nimbus action as 'unpatriotic'. 

BS Lalli, Chief Executive Officer, Prasar Bharati confirmed that DD team has failed to send a team to cover the sports considered as a national game in India but said they were getting live feed' of the matches.

"We also have a three hour programme on match analysis," he said, explaining that viewers are not losing much.

It was not that DD was not willing to send a team. It had got a team of journalists accredited with the ICC for extensive coverage of 'all about' the World Cup package.

What the DD officials did not anticipate was slow pace of file movement from Prasar Bharati to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and internal squabbling over the World Cup coverage reaching the Prime Minister’s office.

First, about how the files are processed in the government. After preparing a proposal for the World Cup coverage, DD found that it dosen't have powers to fund the visit. So, the approval would have to come from the ministry.

A few days before the start of the World Cup, the file was sent to the ministry for immediate financial approval. But, no financial approval was received, as a ministry official says, 'government processes take time' without giving the deadline by when the approval would be given. Lalli said they were still waiting for the government’s approval.

What revealed the factionalism in DD was a complaint send to PMO by a DD official against the team listed by World Cup coverage. Though DD team officials told HT that the original team would be sent, they also admitted that it had brought a bad name to the organisation at the 'highest level'.

In absence of its own team, DD is facing a lot of heat from private television channels, which have two teams in West Indies. DD officials say they are totally dependent on wire services for news related to Woolmer’s death and other controversies in the World Cup. 

Lalli was, however, confident that a DD team would land in West Indies soon to cover the matches. "Der aye, durust aye (Better late then never)" was his remark, when asked by when the DD team would land in West Indies.

And, like crores of Indians, he also prayed that India is not eliminated from the World Cup in the preliminary rounds, but for a different reason. Sending the DD team to West Indies, if India is not there, may turn out to be a futile exercise.

Email author: chetan@hindustantimes.com