Out of bounds

Tuesday’s meeting between Communications Minister Kapil Sibal and telecom operators and internet service providers on spectrum and licensing issues was considered so sensitive that journalists were banned from the premises of the Shangri La Hotel in New Delhi. Pressed for an explanation by journalists forced to stand on the road outside the hotel, the staff said only Doordarshan was allowed inside. Reporters eventually did get in but the security around the conference room was so tight that they stood in the space between the meeting room and the wash rooms to catch hapless attendees, including Sibal. The latter, though, adroitly said he would talk after the meeting, which lasted over three hours.