Khammam Collectorate, February 23 eetatam bharatam:
The District President and Secretary of the Telangana Working Journalists Federation (TWJF), Syed Khadeer and Kothapalli Srinivasa Reddy, along with the Secretary of the Desk Journalists Federation of Telangana (DJFT) Khammam Ad-hoc Committee, Ketireddy Achireddy, have demanded that the government issue accreditations to all desk journalists as was done in the past.
They strongly condemned actions that cause injustice to desk journalists. As part of a state-wide call by the DJFT, journalists held a protest in front of the Khammam Collectorate on Monday. Following the demonstration, they submitted a memorandum to District Collector Anudeep Durishetty, who assured them that the matter would be brought to the government’s attention. Earlier, journalists led by TWJF and DJFT reached the Collectorate in a rally and staged a sit-in (dharna) at the main gate, raising slogans for their rights.
“Do Not Injustice to Desk Journalists”
Khadeer, Srinivasa Reddy, and Achireddy urged the government not to harm the interests of desk journalists by drastically reducing the number of accreditations. They expressed concern that while G.O. 252 appears to increase accreditations, various technical hurdles and “queries” are being introduced to restrict them.
They stated that limiting accreditations for desk journalists is highly unfair and creates unnecessary disparities within the profession. “In the past, five people per district (across 33 districts) and all edition journalists received cards. The current rule of providing only four accreditations per Edition Center is appalling,” they said.
Key Concerns Raised:
* Structural Reality: Although desk journalists work at Edition Centers, each district has separate desks with an In-charge and over four Sub-editors. With each edition covering three to six districts, accreditations should be allocated accordingly.
* The Four-Card Limit: Under the current rule, even District In-charges may fail to secure accreditation.
* Loss of Benefits: Without these cards, desk journalists risk losing access to government welfare schemes.
* Safety Issues: Desk journalists often return home late at night; the leaders questioned how their safety and security could be guaranteed without official accreditation in case of emergencies.
The leaders demanded that the government provide accreditation cards immediately without imposing restrictive conditions.
Participants:
The program saw participation from TWJF District Treasurer Tene Venkateswarlu, Vice President Duvva Sagar, Assistant Secretary Kurakula Gopi, TBJA District President and Secretary Fayaz and Ganesh, TWJF Khammam Constituency leaders Turaga Raghavendra Murthy and Garidepalli Venkateswarlu, State Council members N. Madhushree and Janipasha, DJFT leaders Visarapu Anjaiah, Banka Venkateswarlu, Upendra, Prasad, and TWJF leaders Chintakani Prasad, Arshad, Gopi, Shakeel, Satish, and others.
