The State Government has imposed a number of restrictions on free movement of mediapersons, including TV crews, in the Ministers’ corridor and entry into the Ministers’ chambers at the State Secretariat.
A decision to this effect, taken by the General Administration Department on Thursday, followed a request by Revenue Minister Bijayshree Routray to the Chief Secretary GC Pati.As per the decision, TV crews would not be allowed to enter the Ministers’ corridor with cameras and booms. Mediapersons would be allowed to record the statements of Ministers at the portico at the main entrance of the Secretariat.
Besides, like other guests, the scribes would now have to show their identity cards to the security personnel before entering the Ministers’ corridor. If a journalist wants to meet a Minister, he or she has to take the help of the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the concerned Minister.It may be pointed out that crews of some TV news channels had a scuffle with the Revenue Minister at his office chamber in the Secretariat on September 15.
Besides meeting Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on the issue, Routray had written a letter to the Chief Secretary to regulate the entry of mediapersons into Ministers’ chambers.