CALL OF FAITH OR MISUSE OF AUTHORITY Haj panel's 5-star demands may set govt back by Rs 8cr
Mohua Chatterjee | TNN New Delhi: At a time when the government is trying to cut costs, a delegation of 100 officials from the Central Haj Committee including their family members are headed for a "free" pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia that could cost the state exchequer about Rs 8 crore. In a letter to Indian missions in Riyadh and Jeddah, the Haj committee said that a delegation of its officials accompanied by their family members will proceed on Haj duties and demanded separate facilities and fivestar accommodation "befitting their status" during their stay. Alarmed at the demand, the consulate in Jeddah has sought advice from New Delhi on how to handle the situation, at a time when PM Manmohan Singh has decided to prune official "goodwill" delegations to reduce expenditure. The government has also asked all ministries to cut foreign and domestic travel expenses as part of the mandatory 10% cut on nonplan expenditure. But, the Haj committee seems to care little about such issues in the time of economic slowdown. Usually, Haj committee officials are sent to Saudi Arabia to facilitate and assist Indian pilgrims. According to the letter to the Indian consulate, signed by chief executive officer Mohammad Owais, the Haj committee has demanded that "arrangements for their stay should be separate and befitting the status of the officials and their family members during Haj period. Separate facilities of kitchen and toilets should be made available." --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/thatha_patty?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
