JAMMU : Eighteen journalists in Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory have been allotted government accomodation under discretionary quota.
Furnishing details in response to RTI application of prominent activist Prof. S.K.Bhalla, the Estate department vide No DDE/J/2024/249 disclosed that eighteen media persons namely Zafar Iqbal, Arun Joshi, Ashwani Kumar, Mohd Saleem Pandit, Ahmad Ali Fayaz, Syed Junaid Hashmi, Harbans Nagoky, Vivek Sharma, Aditya Malhotra, Anshu Kumar Sharma, Vinay Saraf, Arun Sharma, Beigh Shameem Ahmad, Sheetal Kak, Pushpa Gupta, Avinash Kumar, Irshad Pandit and M.K.Bangrro are the beneficiaries of government largesse.
As per the RTI disclosure, three journos were alloted flats whereas the rest 15 were accomodated in quarters in posh localities of Gandhi Nagar, Wazarat Road and Panama Chowk.
Interestingly, while many of the allottees are well known guys of journalism whereas a few are invisible faces in media world which has become a matter of simmering discontent among the working media fraternity.
Terming the entire allotment as an exercise in pick and choose, Prof Bhalla told JK Global News, “Distribution of govt accomodations on the strength of discretionary quota is an unhealthy precedent which promotes that either follow the government dictates or fend for your own self”.
Elaborating further, Prof Bhalla categorically asserted that journalism demands free and impartial reporting of all the sections of society without fear and favor. Now, invoking discretionary quota for allotment of government accomodations to media persons sends a foul signal in the society at large which expects bold, fearless and impartial reporting of wrong doings in the system.
The government must lay down a transparent mechanism for allotment of government accomodation to those media persons who are devoid of their own premises, added Prof Bhalla.
The RTI further details rent due upto April 2024 and barring three almost all journalists mentioned in the reply are defaulters. Some owe lakhs to the estate department.
Many mediapersons without going on record have termed allotment to selected few journalists as an aberration of the highest order which indicts that the government of the day is not interested in promoting free and transparent journalism.
Worthwhile to mention here that a PIL pertaining to allotment of government accomodation to politicians is already being heard by the Jammu and Kashmir Higher Court. It is a similar situated matter.