BANGALORE: Karnataka Legislature too will have its own ‘telecasting system’ to cover the proceedings of the Assembly and Council in the near future. With the entire electronic media kept out of the hallowed portals of the Assembly and Council, the ensuing ‘television footage’ will be provided to all channels, including 24-hour-news channels, at no cost.On the lines of Parliament, this system of covering Legislature proceedings has been in the pipeline for long, but had been kept on hold because of the ‘financial burden’ on the state.Speaking to Express, Speaker K G Bopaiah said this exclusive telecasting set-up would cost around Rs 25 crore to cover the proceedings of both Houses. “We have received instructions from the Lok Sabha Secretariat time and again for all Legislatures in the country to have its own telecasting system,” he emphasised.“But to introduce the system at this juncture, the entire blame will come on me,” he said, replying with regard to the recent porn-gate scandal in the Assembly involving three former BJP ministers. “I had visited Delhi for discussions on this issue and only because of financial reasons, the process was slowed down, and it has nothing to do with the ongoing controversy,” he defended.This system will be set up only after renovation of the Assembly is taken up after the Budget Session, scheduled for March 18 or 19. “The entire Assembly will be renovated and modernised at a cost of Rs 15 crore after the Budget Session,” the Speaker said.In fact, the S A Ramdas committee, which has gone into the details of setting up an exclusive telecasting system for the State Legislature (including its installation, production details), is on the verge of completing and finalising its report.With the introduction of this system, for the first time in the history of the State Legislature, one may not see the ‘mayhem’ or the piercing eyes of private TV channels.
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