Message for media, fall in line or face the music
Srinagar, June 20: On the directions of Commissioner of Srinagar Municipal Corporation, the SMC employees along with the street vendors barged into Alsafa Press at Saria Bala here on Monday afternoon and forcibly occupied the compound of the Press.
The SMC employees and the vendors manhandled the staff members of Alsafa newspaper and Press and English daily Precious Kashmir.
When SMC Commissioner was contacted he disconnected the phone saying, “ I am in the Assembly.” After that he ignored the repeated phone calls.
Management of Alsafa and Precious Kashmir news papers said, “Vendors who have occupied the compound of the Press have been told by the SMC officials that they can set up their stalls inside the compound and run their businesses from there,” they said, “We went to SMC office also but none of the officials met us.”
It’s in place to mention here that SMC is under tremendous pressure to clear the street vendors from the city roads to pave the way for vehicles to ply smoothly.
“The street vendors who grease the palms of SMC officials on regular basis have been threatening them that if they don’t rehabilitate them (street vendors) they would expose them,” said a source.
An employee said, “Scores of street vendors led by SMC men broke open the gate of the Alsafa press and barged inside. They threatened us of dire consequences if we dared to resist their move.”
“The SMC employees asked the street vendors to set their carts and beds inside the compound of the Press and start their business from there,” employee said.
“The government is with you,” employee quoted SMC officials as having told the street vendors.
The editor of the Alsafa news said, “A few days ago we had carried a news story about how the move of the government to provide alternate place to street vendors inside a parking space near Jehangir Chowk had backfired. It seems government by occupying our premises wants to teach us a lesson so that we don’t report the truth.”
He said, “Whenever PDP has come into power it has targeted Alsafa news. It’s not for the first time that Alsafa press has been targeted it has happened on many occasions in the past.”
“The SMC encroaching the land which has been allotted to run a newspaper office and a Press is an open example of hooliganism. By doing so government wants to send a message to media outlets to toe the official line or be ready to face the consequences,” said a scribe.
He said, “Media organizations should take a serious note of the government making an attempt to close down one of the Valley’s oldest newspaper and they should launch a counter offensive to prevent the government from muzzling the voice of the media.”
Alsafa news management has lodged a Policed complaint in this connection and has urged the law enforcing agencies to follow law of the land and get the compound of the Press vacated.