Thiruvananthapuram:With news channels increasingly seeking on-the-spot reactions from Chief Minister V D Satheesan, his office has decided to put his media interactions on a schedule and give journalists advance notice.

Satheesan will meet the media every Wednesday after the cabinet meeting and respond to journalists in urgent situations after prior intimation. His office feels news channel crews increasingly reach venues where the chief minister is present and make news out of his decision not to comment.

The move follows an incident last week when journalists approached Satheesan for a response to an allegation by BJP leader Shone George that the chief minister had received money from CMRL chairman S N Sasidharan Kartha. Satheesan was attending an event in Kochi when George made the allegation. After the event, journalists crowded around the chief minister seeking his response. The incident led the intelligence wing to recommend strengthening his security.

The next day, the Special Branch reported that journalists again surrounded Satheesan as he came out after a meeting at the Idukki collectorate. Against this backdrop, intelligence ADGP directed district police chiefs to exercise caution as people, including journalists, were reaching the chief minister without adequate restrictions

With opposition parties also stepping up protests, police want restrictions on people approaching the chief minister, at least temporarily. The intelligence wing had recently recommended strengthening the chief minister’s vehicle convoy, but Satheesan did not agree to the proposal.