SHILLONG: Lack of co-ordination between the Meghalaya Information and Public Relations (MIPR), PIB and the state police has deprived media persons from covering the government programme.
An otherwise active MIPR took the media only to the venue of the BJP rally and journalists had to reach the nearby Indoor Sports Training Hall themselves to cover the inauguration of the road project next to the 5th ground at Polo where the Prime Minister held the rally.
Later, media persons had a harrowing time since SPG did not have any instructions to allow them entry.
The senior state police officials were helpless in the presence of junior SPG personnel.
Though SPG said only two media persons can enter, the press corps did not agree.
The irony was that MIPR had issued passes to all accredited journalists approved by the Meghalaya government to cover the inauguration of the national highway connecting Shillong, Nongstoin, Rongjeng and Tura.
SPG personnel had no other choice but to deny entry to the hall for the inauguration of the two-lane project as they were not properly briefed.
Interestingly, while media persons were having discussions with SPG personnel, one BJP member, RK Sharma, told the SPG that “they are not our media” leading to exchange of words at the venue.
KJ Alphons, Union Minister of State for Tourism and BJP’s election-in-charge of Meghalaya, intervened but despite this, media persons were not allowed entry.
Questions on
govt machinery
Questions were raised on the manner in which the state government machineries remained mute instead of assisting the media.
Though repeated requests were made to senior police and government officials to provide necessary assistance, it was in vain unlike the past.
