All the mediapersons of Sambalpur have ventilated their anger over the recent decision of the State Government restricting journalists to enter the SCB Medical College and Hospital at Cuttack.
"This is totally undemocratic and a direct attack on free media by any elected Government," the media persons mentioned in their representation to the Chief Minister through the RDC of Northen Division here.
The members of the Sambalpur Press Club met RDC G Srinivas jointly and handed over a memorandum addressed to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and also narrated the problem that is going to happen due to such an autocratic decision by the State Government.
"Such a step will do nothing but increase the monopoly of the corrupt persons in this noble profession," said president Prafulla Dash and secretary Rajaram Padhee of the press club.
The media persons enter into the medial colleges or any other place not for fun but in the larger interest of the society and the people. This work is more in the medical colleges where normally poor people step in for treatment. Hence, the present restriction will not only be a hurdle for the scribes to discharge their duties smoothly, but also will directly go against the poor patients for whom medical colleges are the only source of health care, they apprised of the RDC.
The scribes further suggested the Government to appoint public information officers (PIOs) in the medical colleges to streamline dissemination of required information and avoid unpleasant incidents like Cuttack.
The scribes further expressed their apprehension that after Cuttack, the Government is going to impose similar restriction in Sambalpur and Brahmapur. But this will never be a healthy trend in any civilized country, they said, with request to get the present order modified as early as possible.