On Tuesday, the day after Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) issued a release announcing that it had asked for two reports on the Antrix-Devas deal central to the current storm engulfing the space agency to be made public, the chairman, K Radhakrishnan, finally broke his studied silence. In an interview to a Chennai-headquartered daily, he said, “The truth is there... There is an Isro culture and there is a vision which is shared among all. There is a lot of openness in the system.”
Ironically enough, G Madhavan Nair, Radhakrishnan’s predecessor and the most high-profile scientist of the four barred recently from holding any government post, had also chosen to speak about the same “Isro culture” during an interview at his residence. It is an interview interrupted by incessant phone calls, mostly seeking comments and some offering support, and cut short because he has to meet the gaggle of mediapersons waiting outside.
“Somehow, Isro’s culture of collective wisdom and collective leadership is vanishing. Any decision you made used to be chewed by a few senior people, which meant chances of an individual taking a wrong decision were slim... But now decisions seem to be taken in an autocratic manner.” This is, of course, a calmer Nair talking — immediately after the controversy broke out earlier last month, he had lashed out, even going so far as to say “Isro has gone to the dogs” and that Radhakrishnan, a fellow-Malayali, did not know the difference between a transponder and a satellite.
The Antrix-Devas controversy first erupted in March 2010, when the telecom spectrum scandal was making headlines, with reports emerging that Antrix Corporation, the commercial arm of Isro, had signed a deal in 2005 with Devas, promoted by US-based Forge and set up by a former Isro scientist, according to which the latter would get 90 per cent use of the transponders on two satellites as well as, it was alleged, preferential allotment of S-band spectrum at a deflated price. Subsequently, the Comptroller and Auditor General declared that this move had cost the exchequer a loss of Rs 2 lakh crore. Radhakrishnan, who took over from Nair in 2009, also raised doubts about the deal.
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Two committees were then formed to probe whether there had been any slip, one under B K Chaturvedi and Roddam Narasimha, and another headed by Pratyush Sinha; the deal was cancelled, a move Devas has challenged in court. Life at Isro then returned to normal, till it was jolted again with the leaking of an order on January 15 barring Nair and three others — former Isro scientific secretary A Bhaskarnarayana, former Antrix Corporation managing director K R Sridhara Murthi and former Isro Satellite Centre director K N Shankara — from holding any government post.
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Setting aside the veracity of Nair’s allegations about the decline in Isro’s culture, there is no doubt that the space agency, once held in high esteem, has taken a beating in public perception. Isro, formed in 1969, currently has 16,000 employees spread across six major centres and numerous other facilities and labs across the country, of which 10,000 are scientists and technical staff. The last time it found itself similarly embroiled in controversy was during the 1994 “spy scandal”, in which two senior Isro scientists, S Nambi Naryayanan and D Sasikumaran, along with two Maldivian women, were accused of smuggling out secret plans. All four were cleared of the charges, the Kerala government and police found themselves with egg on their face, and Isro moved on to scale greater heights, especially after it successfully launched India’s first moon mission, Chandrayaan I, in 2008 under Nair.
But an equally serious effect of the recent government order, feels U R Rao, chairman of Isro from 1984 to 1994, is the possibility that the sudden blacklisting could impede decision-making at Isro. “I am most concerned about the long-term effect such a ban would have — it could mean the slowing down of every decision taken. And one of the most important roles of the Isro management is the ability to take decisions,” says Rao who has openly criticised the government’s action.
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Scientists at Isro are reluctant to talk, and a former Isro official says, perhaps only half-jokingly, “I left a long time ago and have nothing to do with anything — which is why I’m not in Tihar.” But a source says the staff are divided between the Nair and Radhakrishnan camps, with the former outnumbering the latter. Nair, a Padma Vibhushan recipient with the halo of Chandrayaan I, is seen as an able and efficient leader with the right connections, someone who is aware of his stature and who reportedly enjoys the trappings that come with it.
His successor, on the other hand, says an official, is a straightforward, down-to-earth man. Radhakrishnan is also a Kathakali artiste and vocalist, and last November performed keerthans at the annual Chembai music festival at the Guruvayoor temple in Kerala, as has been his wont. He is also reported to be very religious, even arranging to collect the order appointing him chairman of Isro from the Guruvayoor temple. What hasn’t helped Radhakrishnan is that, for whatever reason, there have been no significant launches in the same league as Chandrayaan I under him. In fact, 2010 was marked by the failure of not one but two GSLV launches. A successful GSLV launch is critical for Chandrayaan 2, which has now been deferred to 2014.
Talk of a rift between the two has been doing the rounds ever since Radhakrishnan took over, and the government order seems to be the last straw for Nair who alleges that Isro has suffered under its current leadership. “Any space programme needs long-term vision and planning and I don’t see that at Isro now. Another way of evaluating an organisation’s efficiency is its ability to meet its expenditure targets. Isro used to be known for meeting 90 to 95 per cent of its targets but this year it’s struggling to achieve even 60 per cent,” says Nair.
Radhakrishnan has chosen not to respond to Nair’s many charges, merely saying that his focus is only on Isro’s future missions. “I am worried about Isro and nothing else. I have a couple of major missions lined-up this year and they are close to my heart,” he says. Future missions, he says, include the launch of the PSLV-C19, the Radar Imaging Satellite (RISAT-1) carrying a C-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) payload, indigenous cryogenic upper stage and the GSLV MK II, the GSLV-MK-III and the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite Systems (IRNSS) constellation, consisting of seven satellites.
Meanwhile, after its initial aggressive stance in the days after the order against the four scientists was leaked, the government has now adopted a more conciliatory tone, saying it was ready to examine the issues raised by Nair. The government has nothing against scientists, commented minister of state in the Prime Minister’s Office, V Narayanasamy, just days after saying the action would be a lesson to scientists. The four scientists have maintained throughout that they are innocent, asserting that the right to grant spectrum came under the purview of the Department of Telecom and that Isro’s role was confined to launching and leasing the satellites, and that the deal with Devas would have been a significant technological advancement.
The value of spectrum for terrestrial use and the S-band spectrum that India had set aside specifically for satellite mobile communication are miles apart, says Nair, rubbishing the CAG’s figure of Rs 2 lakh crore. “By allocating S-band spectrum for satellite mobile communication we were following the policy that already existed — how can you find fault with us for that,” asks Sridhar Murthi, who signed the deal with Devas on behalf of Antrix. “The whole issue arises from the fact that there has not been sufficient informed discussion. There is just a lot of hype by some people with certain interests who are trying to reinforce their argument.”
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This is an argument echoed by former Isro chairman Rao as well, who even questions the competency of the panels constituted by the government to examine the deal. “These are extremely complicated and difficult technologies. Technical people who know the details of satellite communication should have been appointed to examine the deal,” says Rao candidly.
But even at this time of crisis, the employees’ loyalty to Isro appears unshaken. “It is painful for us who have done our job with dedication, pride and certain values. But Isro is a very strong organisation with exceptionally dedicated people, so I am sure it will overcome the current crisis,” says Murthi. Despite any personal differences he may have with Radhakrishnan, Nair feels no differently about his former organisation. “I am ready to do anything to restore the image of Isro,” he says.