Karnataka   

An average of 50 calls each

 The increase in the number of newspapers and television channels may have created more opportunities for journalists but it has made life difficult for police officers, particularly Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs), in Bangalore. On an average, daily around 50 reporters representing English, Hindi and language newspapers and television channels call up each DCP asking him for the details of crimes reported in his jurisdiction. Usually, all the reporters seek details of the same incident and the officer has to repeat it 50 times. “Besides, we have to provide clarifications to some reporters who do not hesitate to make any number of calls,” says a harried DCP. That explains the reason behind some police officers not taking calls from the media.

 Reporters are used to being stonewalled by bureaucrats. This correspondent recently called an official to seek an appointment to get information on HIV/AIDS for a feature to coincide with World AIDS Day. The bureaucrat clearly was having a bad day. “How can you write about AIDS before the World AIDS Day?” he snapped, and added for good measure: “Do you celebrate your wedding anniversary before the actual date?” When pointed out that special features are planned ahead, he dropped a few names and said: “I know them well. I would have told this fact to them.”

There are those who see the bright side of things, even when caught in Bangalore’s traffic. Secretary of Departments of Information, Kannada and Culture and Tourism I.M. Vittala Murthy had this bit of advice for all those who whine about the bad traffic management. Addressing a function, he said that they were a common phenomenon in almost every city in the world. “Take New York, Chennai or Mumbai. The traffic situation in these cities is just as bad. We, in Bangalore, should not be complaining. If you are stuck in a traffic jam, just roll down the window if you are in a car and look around at the beautiful trees and flowers instead of complaining,” he told mystified journalists. Pilot cars, anyone?

K.V. Subramanya, Raghava M. and Chitra V. Ramani

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An average of 50 calls each
To safeguard their interests

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