Journalists covering Civil Aviation barred from entering Ministry

NEW DELHI: Journalists covering the Civil Aviation beat have been barred from entering Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan where the ministry is based, a move the scribes have protested against.

Reporters covering the beat have written to Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Secretary V Somasundaran about the "verbal" orders issued to the CISF personnel not to allow them inside the ministry.

"Sir, we strongly protest the arbitrary and high-handed manner in which some senior officials in the Ministry of Civil Aviation are behaving with the national media and preventing their access to the Ministry despite the media having the Home Ministry clearance," they wrote.

Yesterday afternoon, three security cleared Press Information Bureau card holders were doing their normal official duties when they were barred entry into the Ministry.

The CISF personnel said they had been given 'verbal' orders not to allow journalists to enter the Ministry. After a heated argument over the phone with some officials, they were granted access, they said.

"We request you to look into this matter urgently as access to the Ministry is important for us to perform our duties. The decision also seems inappropriate since we have PIB clearance," they said in the letter.