BENGALURU: Just who are these touts the state government plans to keep away from the corridors of power? And just how could correspondents with accreditation cards issued by the government be clubbed with touts and prevented entry into Vidhana Soudha?
Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy reportedly felt he saw no need to clear the air after a controversial announcement because a formal decision on restraining journalists from entering the seat of power was not taken. His stand notwithstanding, the city police has decided to include Vidhana Soudha-Vikasa Soudha-M.S. Building and Udyog Soudha complexes in the high security zone, and some changes would be made with regard to entry of everyone, including journalists, and other visitors, official sources said, adding in the event passes are issued to a single floor, correspondents would not be allowed to visit other floors.
The other option could be to put in place a verification mechanism and limit the movement of journalists to venues like the conference hall or committee room. “Verification by the police will be implemented even for accredited correspondents,” sources added. As part of conversion of these key buildings into high security precinct, old and dysfunctional CCTVs are being replaced with advanced CCTVs. The entry for aam admi will be limited to a couple of hours in the evening.
