BHUBANESWAR: Journalists in Odisha gets cash gift surprises to cover the event of Union Transport Minister, Nitin Gadkari. The event held at Anugul was organised by National Highway Authority of India (NHAI).
The media persons were waiting for the Union ministers Nitin Gadkari and Dharmendra Pradhan to arrive at the Dussehera Ground here for a programme.
The journalist while waiting for them were shocked to found Rs 500 currency note in each media kit on Friday.
WATCH (Full video inside the report)- Odisha journalists 'bribed' with Rs 500 each in Nitin Gadkari's functionhttps://t.co/MgWDvjLTTP pic.twitter.com/in9OO39qht
— Janta Ka Reporter (@JantaKaReporter) July 21, 2017
The journalists also said that the media kits were distributed by NHAI officials.
The media persons strongly protested and a local journalist Ranjan Patra lodged a complaint with the Angul Police Station. “We will definitely ask NHAI authorities on the issue of bribing journalists during the function,” said Diptanshu Sekhar Das, a journalist.
“We have received the complaint and we are looking into the matter,” Angul SP Brijesh K Rai told PTI.
He also said that some NHAI officials have since been called for questioning. “I was asked to distribute materials (kits) to journalists and I had no information about what was inside it,” said Siven Singh Parihar, PRO NHAI.
“We may call the meeting organisers again if required,” the SP said.
Meanwhile, the NHAI has also ordered an inquiry into the allegations that an effort was made to bribe media persons at the event.
“Anyone found guilty will be punished,” an official statement issued by the NHAI said.
Odisha’s Commerce and Transport Minister Nrushingha Sahu condemned the attempt to bribe media persons at Gadkari’s programme.
Both Gadkari and Dharmendra Pradhan attended the “Bhumi Pujan” at Dussehra ground in Angul town today.
It was organised before construction work began to widen Angul-Sambalpur, Tileibani-Sambalpur and Balanga-Jharpokharia national highways.
With agency inputs