The Press Council of India (PCI) in its judgment over cash distribution to the mediapersons by UCO Bank officials during a Press meet here on November 12, 2014, has praised the mediapersons of Puri for keeping up high professional ethics. The PCI also disapproved of the conduct of the UCO Bank officials for such unethical act.
PCI Chairman Justice Chandramauli Kumar Prasad in the judgment while advised the media professionals to continue the high values of journalism and refuse such offers of gifts and other things, hoped that in future the bank shall not involve in such kind of activities which denigrate its image.
Puri Journalists’ Association president Jagannath Bastia and others had strongly opposed the distribution of cash to the mediapersons in the Press meet. Bastia had filed a complaint petition with the PCI on November 24, 2014 that distribution of cash is an insult to the journalists. He pleaded his case in person in Delhi. During hearing of the case, the UCO Bank senior officials admitted that the since the bank is the nodal agency for the tour of the Parliamentary Standing Committee was the chairperson, had given cash `200 to each journalist present in the meet towards reimbursement of their conveyance. The UCO Bank authorities tendered an unconditional apology for their act.
Earlier to this judgment a special audit of the bank transactions as regards to the money distribution was conducted by audit officers as per the direction of the PCI. It was found that the bank with the consent of its executives had distributed the cash.er a river sets off a loud siren in case of a breach.
As of now, only 5-6 out of around 40 vulnerable points are covered by laser walls. This beam over the river sets off a loud siren in the case of a breach.
The suspected infiltration point of Ujj River in Bamiyal used by the six Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists before storming the Pathankot air base was not covered by a laser wall.
A camera to keep watch over the 130-metre-wide river bed was found to be not recording the footage.
BSF has covered this stretch by putting up a laser wall last week before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Pathankot air base on January 9. The border guarding force had started putting up laser walls on unfenced riverine stretches of international border last year in Jammu sector, which was more prone to terrorist intrusions till three terrorists carried out attack in Gurdaspur in Punjab in July last year.
The terrorists believed to have entered India five kms downstream of Bamiyal near the Tash border outpost - a riverine point not covered by a laser wall as well.
Bamiyal has BSF posts on either side of the river with a personnel on each post keeping a watch on the river round the clock. The area is also lit up with high mast lights.
There is a possibility that the six JeM terrorists might have walked through the dry river bed at night and BSF personnel might have missed them. Officials said Bamiyal is not known as a drug trafficking route as no drugs have been seized here over the past 3-4 years.
The BSF has already deployed additional personnel along the border in Punjab and boat patrolling has been intensified, particularly during night.