Speaker, J&K Legislative Assembly Kavinder Gupta today convened a meeting with the representatives of the media, both print and electronic, to discuss and review the arrangements made for smooth coverage of the Budget Session 2017-18 of the State Legislature.ADG Security, Dilbagh Singh, Secretary Legislative Assembly, Mohammad Ramzan, IGP Traffic, Shafqat Watali, Director Information, Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, SSP Jammu, SSP Traffic Jammu, SSP Security Civil Secretariat and other officers of the Assembly Secretariat and concerned Departments were present at the meeting.Speaking at the meeting, the Speaker sought cooperation from the media fraternity for fair and comprehensive coverage of the Budget session. Stressing on adhering to the security guidelines laid down by the concerned agencies, he said certain restrictions on traffic movement are being imposed to ensure safety of all the concerned and to make sure that hassle-free security arrangements are put in place.He urged the media-persons not to use mobile phones in the press gallery either for making calls or recording videos of the proceedings.Kavinder Gupta said the legislators represent the views of general public and media fraternity should ensure that each question/statement made by the MLAs gets adequate space in the media so that the general public gets a candid view of the functioning of their representatives.
Director Information, Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, informed the media persons about the arrangements put in place for proper coverage of the proceedings of the house. He informed that about 30 parking spots have been allocated to accommodate the media vehicles in the Secretariat premises. Further, it was informed that space for parking of 3 OB vans has been allotted for the convenience of the media. Besides, provisions for refreshments and installation of television set inside the cafeteria are also being considered.The Director Information said that a Media Room is also being established in the Legislature Complex to ensure timely coverage of the proceedings.The media also put forth demands like the requirement for regular wifi access in the press gallery and electric sockets for charging laptops and tablets used during the proceeding by the reporters. It was assured that these would be looked into and their resolution worked out.
Deputy Director, Regional News Unit Jammu, Ms Neha Jalali, Deputy Director News Doordarshan Kendra Jammu Sanjit Khajuria, Editor Kashmir Times Prabodh Jamwal, Bureau Chief Early times Jammu Sandeep Bhat, Editor The News Now, Zafar Choudhary, Bureau Chief Aaj Tak Ashwani Kumar, Editor Daily Udaan Iqbal Hussain Qazmi, Bureau Chief Rising Kashmir Amjad Shah, Bureau Chief Times Now Pradeep Dutta, Bureau Chief Amar Ujala Jammu Rajinder Srivastava, Bureau Chief Dainik Jagran Abhimanyu Sharma, Vice President Take One TV Faheem Tak, Correspondent Kashmir Images Mannu Srivastava, Bureau Chief The Pioneer Jammu Mohit Kandhari, Sr Correspondent ETV Jammu Sameer Ji Bhat, Bureau Chief Zee News Jammu Raju Kerni, Bureau Chief PTI Jammu Anil Bhat, Bureau Chief UNI Jammu Vishal Bharti, Bureau Chief Punjab Kesari Jammu Dr Balraj Saini, Bureau Chief ANI Jammu Sominder Koul, Editor KNS Mohammad Aslam Bhat, News Head Gulistan News Vinod Kumar, News Head OK India Channel Sanjay Bansal, Editor Dainik Savera Ashwani Gupta and Bureau Chief PBI Sohail Khan were also present at the meeting.