BANGALORE: Assembly Speaker K G Bopaiah on Wednesday clarified that there was no move to prevent the private news media from recording or telecasting proceedings of the state Legislature.
He also added that initiatives have been made to install electronic mobile jammers which would block all electronic signals into the Assembly Hall and Lounge.
Addressing newsmen here on Wednesday, Bopaiah said that the existing blocking devices aren’t working due to the “high velocity” phones of legislators.
He, however, favoured a dedicated telecast system for the Assembly, which, he said did not materialise due to financial constraints. “According to a preliminary estimate, the system would cost about `25 crore.”
He said that a house panel had earlier recommended live telecast of proceedings of both the houses of the Legislature on the lines of the model adopted by the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha where telecast by private channels has been banned.
On the three BJP MLAs involved in the porngate scandal — Lakshman Savadi, C C Patil and Krishna Palemar — Bopaiah said that they would submit their replies to the show-cause notices issued to them by Thursday.
When asked about their non-compliance to the notices served on them, the Assembly Speaker merely replied: “Law will take its own course.”