Jammu, Nov 2: Expressing grave concern over restrictions imposed on media coverage of the annual Darbar opening ceremony in Jammu, the Press Club of Jammu has strongly condemned the authorities' decision to adopt a pick-and-choose policy for allowing journalists' entry into the Civil Secretariat.
In a statement issued here today, Press Club of Jammu President Sanjeev Pargal said that restricting media access to the Civil Secretariat to cover the opening of the annual Darbar Move amounted to an infringement of press freedom.
Pargal said that for decades, it has been an established tradition to allow media personnel inside the Civil Secretariat to cover the ceremonial proceedings, during which the Chief Minister takes the salute of the Jammu and Kashmir Police contingent.
He added that for the first time in history, a pick-and-choose policy has been adopted, with only selected media representatives being allowed entry into the Civil Secretariat.
Pargal pointed out that the Darbar opening ceremony provides an important opportunity for the Government to interact with the media, outline its priorities for the next six months and highlight its achievements.
He regretted that by restricting media access, the authorities had missed an important opportunity to communicate the Government's achievements and future priorities to the public through the media.
Pargal said that the Press Club of Jammu would soon convene a meeting of working journalists and representatives of media organisations to discuss and formulate a future course of action against such decisions
Those who signed the statement included Zorawar Singh Jamwal, Vice President; Dinesh Manhotra, Secretary General; and Executive Committee members Nishikant Khajuria, Deepak Khajuria, Dinesh Mahajan, Govind Chouhan and Ajay Menia.
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