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Only Jaswant Singh will brief press

Neena Haridas in New Delhi

Press briefings at the crisis management centre of the Civil Aviation Ministry were suspended today following an order from South Block. All information about the hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC 814 will now be available only with the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

It has also been decided that only Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh will address the press as and when necessary.

Harabans Singh, the newly appointed Executive Director, Airport Authority of India, said the decision follows the Union Cabinet's desire to ''consolidate the news flow.'' The Cabinet, it is learnt, does not want different versions of the government's stand on the crisis reported in the print and audio-visual media.

The corridors in front of the crisis management centre at Rajeev Gandhi Bhavan have been a favourite hangout for scribes ever since the IC 814 flight was hijacked on December 24 over Lucknow.

The news was broken today by Civil Aviation Secretary Ravindra Gupta at 4 pm after he cancelled a scheduled press briefing.

NIGHTMARE ON FLIGHT 814
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