Date:03/04/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/04/03/stories/2007040317410200.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Reporter's Diary

Caution rules with bureaucrats

Bureaucrats appear to practise extreme caution in dealing with the press, it appears.

Recently, a senior official, during an interaction with a citizens' group, pointed out that he was always in the firing line. "I am the most harassed person," he said in the heat of the moment. He paused to look in the direction of the sole journalist present and added as an afterthought, "But don't quote me on that."

Academic function, political verbiage

Graduation day of an engineering college is usually an occasion for healthy debate on academics. But some functions tend to spill over into politics, as happened the other day. The chairman of the institution declared the graduation day open and began what turned out to be a near three-hour exposition on the state of politics.

Subsequent speakers did not bother to steer the discussion back on the academic track. An MLA and MP, among the other dignitaries invited, went on to sharpen the political insight of the student audience. That they consumed huge chunks of time in the bargain is another matter.

It was Union Minister of Communications and Information Technology Dayanidhi Maran spoke that the students breathed a sigh of relief.

His to the point, comprehensive speech on higher education and the job scenario was a welcome intervention.

Police and the press

Reporters covering the police beat have a long pending grievance: the intimation of timings of press meets addressed by the Commissioner of Police. Usually, reporters are informed at the proverbial eleventh hour making it a mad rush to reach the venue in say 30 or 45 minutes. Officials, when asked, plead helplessness about the matter.

A few senior journalists pointed out the other day that for as long as they remember, Commissioners of Police in Chennai have by convention met the press on Thursdays.

However, on Monday evening, for a change the officials informed the reporters over phone that the CoP would meet the press on Tuesday at 10 a.m. The media were just getting over their bafflement about being informed a day in advance, when the staff called again to say the meet was cancelled.

(Contributions by J. Malarvizhi, Meera Srinivasan and L. Srikrishna).