EC to allow journos using motorcycles during elections

The Election Commission (EC) is going to allow the use of motorcycles by journalists with terms and conditions during elections by revising the policy.

EC Public Relations director Md Shariful Alam said journalists will be allowed to use motorcycles subject to conditions. The policy may be issued on Tuesday.

There will be no obstacle for journalists to use motorcycles to perform election duties if they have valid documents, said EC additional secretary Ashok Kumar Debnath. He said the commission has approved the matter.

Earlier, the Election Commission issued a policy in last April and banned the use of motorcycles by journalists in the polls. The EC, however, moved away from the decision after several rounds of meetings amid the objection from the Reporters Forum for Election and Democracy, an organisation of journalists working at the Election Commission beat.

The policy was approved with the sign of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal on Sunday. The EC Secretariat is currently preparing to issue a notification over the policy.