Remove access restriction on media for Parliament coverage: Editors Guild to Om Birla, Jagdeep Dhankhar

New Delhi: The Editors Guild of India on Monday urged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar to remove access restrictions on the media for covering proceedings of Parliament.

The Guild, in a letter to Birla, said the practice of restricting the number of media persons, including those holding permanent accreditation, came into force when Covid-19 protocols were in place.

"The country has fought the scourge and moved on and we hope limiting access is also done away with," it said in a letter to Birla.

The Guild also expressed concern over the non-reconstitution of the Press Advisory Committee that was first founded in 1929 under the guidance of the president of the Central Legislative Assembly, Vithalbhai Patel.

The Guild urged Dhankhar to restore complete access to all media accredited media persons to the House without the need for them to secure additional access passes, which only adds to the bureaucratic work at a time when the effort is to reduce the load.