MPs pass buck to govt dept

Kuldeep Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, June 26

Fifteen members of the Joint Parliament Committee on office of profit today passed the buck to the state government’s General Administration Department (GAD) for arranging their stay in the luxurious Wildflower Resort near Chharabra.

They said members of the other standing committees had also stayed in the hotel in the past and that they were not an exception.

Unable to take the criticism following The Tribune report, chairperson of the committee PP Chaudhary, who is BJP MP from Pali in Rajasthan, said, “We were ready to stay in Chail or Shimla, but GAD chose the resort after it failed to find any other accommodation due to heavy tourist rush.”“The stay in the five-star resort has drawn ire of the public. It is sad that taxpayers’ money is wasted on such tours,” said a professor of HP university.

“The state government’s department makes arrangements for the visiting members of Parliament,” said Chaudhary. The money for the tour came from the Lok Sabha funds, he said.

“We were told that the state government gets discount on stay,” Chaudhary added. The other 33-member Standing Committee of Parliament on bio-diversity and environment headed by Renuka Chaudhary had visited the state on June 10 to assess the damage caused by forest fires.

Though the officials of GAD are tight-lipped over the stay, sources said the Wildflower Hall was the costliest resort in Himachal with its exclusive suite costing Rs 60,000 or so.