Odisha Secretariat reopens its doors to journalists after four years
The Hindu
The Odisha Secretariat, nerve centre of the State administration in Bhubaneswar, reopened its doors to journalists after four years, on June 12.
The Odisha Secretariat, nerve centre of the State administration in Bhubaneswar, reopened its doors to journalists after four years, on June 12.
Lok Seva Bhavan, the State Secretariat, was out of bounds for journalists after the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), led by former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, disallowed scribes from entering the premises when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country in March 2020, and continued to withhold permission even after normalcy was restored. In the past four years, journalists could only enter the Secretariat when they were invited personally by a Minister or bureaucrat.
In a symbolic gesture, newly sworn-in Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has scheduled his first media briefing inside the Secretariat. Mr. Majhi is expected to brief media on decisions taken at the first Cabinet meeting of his government.
Journalist associations staged protests and met the CM in person but to no avail, with the ‘ban’ remaining in place for over four years.
“We acknowledge the gesture of the new government, which welcomed journalists to the campus of the Odisha State Secretariat. Journalists were facing a lot of professional hardship in not being able to meet government officials and Ministers during past four years,” Prasanna Mohanty, president of the Odisha Union of Journalists, and a member of the Press Council of India, said.
“It was an undeclared Emergency for journalists. The State government used to provide information through video clips and press releases after a thorough screening,” Mr. Mohanty said.
The situation came to such a pass that access to the Secretariat for journalists was a major poll promise by the BJP. Soon after his election as Deputy Chief Minister, K. V. Singh Deo, at the BJP office here on Tuesday, had announced access to the State Secretariat for journalists.
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