SHILLONG: The youth wing of the UDP has expressed surprise over the “lavish spending by the state government” during inauguration of the Kolkata Meghalaya House last year.
“It is highly questionable as to how family members of employees of the concerned departments travelled for the inaugural function at the expense of the state exchequer,” chief organiser of the youth wing of UDP, R Kharkamni said while lamenting that several government contractors were not even paid their dues last year.
The State government had spent nearly Rs 41 lakh (Rs.40,84,130) for the inauguration of the Meghalaya House at Russel Street, Kolkata on January 12, 2015. This was revealed by the General Administration department while replying to an RTI query posed by The Shillong Times.
The hundreds of invitees for the inauguration included the entire cabinet of West Bengal, officials of Kolkata Municipal Corporation, Police department, Pay and Accounts Officer, all consulates in Kolkata, all corporate houses, North East houses in West Bengal, Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, former Chief Minister D.D. Lapang, the Meghalaya Cabinet, MLAs, MDCs, senior officials, officers of GAD, PWD and Tourism departments and their families, besides the staff and the officers of Meghalaya House Kolkata. Other invitees include the residents of Meghalaya living in Kolkata.
