Government spending 2 lakh a day on chai, biscuits to secretariat babus?

Hyderabad: The Forum for Good Governance (FGG) has urged the Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan to order a probe into the excess spending of funds by the Director of Protocol department.

In a representation to the State Governor, FCC Secretary M Padmanabha Reddy said that the protocol department, a branch of GAD, looks after the arrangements for all VVIPs/VIPs during their official and non-official visits. Also, the State guests are accommodated in State guest houses etc. Besides, the Protocol department also takes care of providing tea and refreshments during the meetings held in Secretariat. However, a casual look at the amount spent by the Protocol department on two items i.e. sub-head 132 and other office expenses (hospitality charges like providing tea etc.) and sub-head 134, hiring private vehicles, the amount spent were abnormally high, he pointed out. Attaching the budgetary allocation documents with the representation, the FGG said that annually about Rs 8 crore or daily Rs 2 lakh is the expense for providing tea and biscuits in the secretariat. "Director Protocol has government vehicles with him. Nevertheless, Rs 8.9 crore is spent for hiring the vehicles. Expenditure on the above two items, other office expenses and hiring change of private vehicles appears to be quite abnormal and needs probe," he said. Against this backdrop, the FGG requested the Governor to order a vigilance inquiry and ACB probe into the same.