Journalists have finally been granted permission to use motorcycles during election news coverage, after various criticisms and demands.
The Election Commission on Monday approved a policy amendment allowing the use of motorcycles during elections, which might be issued on Tuesday.
Sources reveal that, according to the amended policy, journalists will be able to use a limited number of motorcycles under certain conditions.
Ashok Kumar Debnath, additional secretary at the EC secretariat, told the media that the conditions for motorcycle users are standard, such as having a driving licence, motorcycle registration, and other related documents.
This means journalists using their own motorcycles will face no inconvenience, he added.
The Election Commission had issued guidelines for media workers in collecting election news for national and local elections on April 12.
According to that guideline, the Election Commission banned the use of motorcycles for journalists.
According to the policy, only Election Commission-approved card holders could go to the polling stations and collect election news in accordance with the rules and regulations. In those cases, they had to follow at least a dozen instructions.
No one had been allowed to broadcast news on social media, including Facebook, directly from the polling booth.
This policy had been applicable for general elections and by-elections of Jatiya Sangsad, upazila parishad, city corporation, zilla parishad, municipal council, and union parishad.
If a journalist had not complied with this directive, the commission could cancel their EC-related journalist's pass.
Besides, action could have been taken against the concerned journalists or institutions according to the election laws and rules.