Hyderabad: The issuance of government accreditation cards for journalists in Telangana has hit a major standstill. Despite several applications receiving formal clearance from the Telangana State Media Accreditation Committee (SMAC), thousands of eligible journalists are left waiting.
Sources reveal that a bureaucratic impasse has emerged, with the Information and Public Relations (I&PR) Department reportedly operating at cross-purposes with SMAC Chairman K. Sreenivas Reddy, refusing to process the finalized cards.
The friction traces back to the implementation of GO 252, which introduced stringent new guidelines for granting media credentials under Sreenivas Reddy’s leadership.
The new rules faced sharp backlash from the media fraternity, with journalists alleging that the arbitrary eligibility parameters under GO 252 effectively disqualified a vast number of working media professionals.
While multiple legal petitions challenging the government order are actively being heard in the Telangana High Court, the administrative deadlock has paralyzed even the applications that fully complied with the criteria and won committee approval.
Media Relations section redirects blame to SMAC chief
Adding a fresh layer of frustration for applicants, personnel within the Media Relations (MR) section of the I&PR Department are reportedly creating secondary hurdles.
Journalists attempting to collect their finalized cards are being directed by MR section staff to fulfill additional criteria drawn from GO 252 guidelines. When questioned by disgruntled media persons, I&PR personnel are deflecting responsibility, claiming they are not the ones enforcing the strict rules, but rather that the SMAC committee, headed by K. Sreenivas Reddy, has mandated it.
This deflection has caused deep resentment among applicants who view it as a tactical move by the department to stall the process while shifting the blame onto the committee chairman.
The deepening rift between the I&PR Department and the SMAC leadership comes at a time when the state government recently extended Sreenivas Reddy’s tenure as the Chairman of the Media Academy of Telangana. Observers note that the I&PR Department’s resistant stance appears to target the Chairman directly.
However, Sreenivas Reddy commands immense institutional leverage, backed by the state’s strongest journalist unions and supported by an expansive network of media associations and press federations.
Adding to the administrative friction, the Media Academy of Telangana recently issued a formal clarification completely debunking allegations of financial discrepancies within the journalists’ welfare funds. Media circles view this clean chit as a significant victory for Reddy’s camp, further solidifying union support behind him.
Despite the clear mandate from the screening committee, the I&PR Department has paused the subsequent processing pipeline.
With the MR section deflecting blame, the department dug in, and the High Court proceedings ongoing, the state’s media professionals remain caught in the crossfire without official identification cards.
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