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| Information Deptt in slumber as Journalists yet to receive Election Authority letters | | Messing around at its peak | | Jehangir Rashid
SRINAGAR, Apr 16: Department of Information has yet again failed to discharge its basic duty of facilitating the visit of media persons to the polling stations during the ongoing Lok Sabha elections since it has failed to hand over the authority letters for the purpose to the concerned stake holders.
The department has handed over just a handful of authority letters issued by Election Commission of India to the journalists of Jammu and Kashmir. Majority of the media persons have been left high and dry since they have not received the authority letters so far. This is despite the fact that one phase of elections is already over in the state with the next phase being held tomorrow.
It was in the month of January that the Information department asked the journalists to submit photographs along with the details both at Jammu and Srinagar so that the process of preparing the authority letters is taken up earliest. Three months down the line the department has been able to hand over few authority letters with majority of journalists being deprived of same.
"During the first phase of Lok Sabha polls for Jammu-Poonch seat I visited many polling booths without the necessary authority letter issued by Election Commission of India. Thankfully the concerned poll officials and security staff didn't ask for the same, otherwise I would have landed in trouble," said a photographer working with a reputed national news agency.
This is not for the first time that Information department has been caught napping. In the past the department has failed to provide passes to the journalists as and when some high profile function or event is held in Jammu or Srinagar. Passes are issued to the people who are amateurs with the professionals being left out.
"The Information department has so far failed to update the database of journalists both accredited and non-accredited. The accreditation has also left many questions unanswered as some journalists have been given accreditation only a year after their entry into journalism while as others with experience of more than 10 years have been denied the same," said a correspondent of a national daily.
It has been observed that pick and chose policy is pursued to by the Information department as and when a dignitary like Prime Minister or President comes to visit Jammu or Srinagar. Journalists who are considered to be favourites in Government ranks are welcomed to such functions while as those who write critical pieces are ignored by the people at helm of affairs.
"At a volatile place like Jammu and Kashmir there is no freedom to write or speak against the Government. A correspondent may be booked, tried and then falsely implicated. Nobody in the Government would come forward to defend him and as such his career may get ruined with no fault of his," said a correspondent on the condition of anonymity. |
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