Protest threat has Telangana keep journalists away from 11th Metropolis Congress Week
7 Oct 2014 7:04 AM IST
All roads leading to the venue were blocked
Bomb squad checks the road at Hitec City. (Photo: DC)
Hyderabad: Following intelligence reports that a few media houses would be staging a protest on the starting day of the 11th Metropolis Congress Week, the Telangana government took a last-minute decision to keep the entire state media away from the meeting.
Top government officials from civic, security and administration sectors took the decision late on Sunday.
On Monday, all roads leading to the venue of the Metropolis World Conference at HICC, were blocked by the Cyberabad Police. Around 20 law and order officials were deployed at the Hitex administration building to stop media persons crossing the barricades. None of the plenary sessions including Voice of Children, Urban Finance, Housing for All and Youth to Build Cities were screened.
Telangana DGP Anurag Sharma along with his team, and Cyberabad commissioner C.V. Anand inspected the media centre.
Responding to angry media persons who lashed out for not been allowed, commissioner of information and public relations Chandravadan said, “Following the intelligence report, the government has taken this decision. However, experts and important personalities will be brought for an interaction followed by the GHMC commissioner’s briefing. No media will be allowed throughout the conference.”
On Monday, only 135 international delegates took part (400 were expected). In all, 857 experts attended the first day. Security will be intensified on Tuesday as it will be the inaugural session when Governor E.S.L. Nara-simhan will inaugurate the Congress.
Union urban development minister M. Venkaiah Naidu and Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao will also attend. President Pranab Mukherjee will address the valedictory function of the event scheduled on October 9, while former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, former Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) chief V.K. Saraswat and Rajendra Pachauri are among the personalities who will address the XI Metropolis World Congress, the theme for which is ‘Cities for All’.
Mayors of several member cities like Joh-annesburg, Barcelona, Berlin and Tehran, technocrats and experts will also be part of the discussions. The theme of the Congress is ‘Cities for All.’
( Source : dc correspondent )
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