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Despite row over Leh trip, UT adviser gives nod to another ‘study tour’ for MC councillors
Parida could not be reached for comments but mayor Rajesh Kalia confirmed that the tour got the approval from the adviser as he himself went to his office on Friday to get it sanctioned.
Despite recent row over a five-day trip to Leh, UT adviser Manoj Parida gave a go ahead to the MC councillors for another five-day trip to Kolkata and Kerala.
Parida could not be reached for comments but mayor Rajesh Kalia confirmed that the tour got the approval from the adviser as he himself went to his office on Friday to get it sanctioned.
Though Kalia maintained the tour is meant to study the working of Kolkata and Thiruvananthapuram municipal corporations, city residents said it was a sheer wastage of money. “On one hand, MC claims they have no money for development but they are again going on study tours. It is sad that administration too is hand in glove with them,” said RTI activist RK Garg
The tour will leave on December 21. After adviser’s nod, MC has officially sought consent from all elected and nominated councillors for the visit. Sources said that ₹20 lakh have already been sanctioned but overall expenditure may be much more.
FRAME RULES FOR STUDY TOUR: RWAS TO ADMN
“Knowing that these tours are meant for enjoyment, administration still sanctioning them is ironical and sad,” said Baljinder Bittu, president of the Federation of Sector Welfare Associations.
Vinod Vashisht, convener of the City Forum of Residents Welfare Organisations (CFORWO), said it is high time that administration frames proper rules for study tours.
“There is nothing wrong in learning new things but all such tours are made purely for enjoyment,” he said. “Can’t councillors study working of Kolkata MC by googling it,” Vashisht questioned.
‘STUDY TOURS NEVER PRODUCTIVE’
MC has spent more than ₹75 lakh on study tours in the last five years but their reports were never implemented. While a section of MC officers call these tours means of exposure, it has never reflected in debates in the house meetings that are mostly marked by councillors settling personal or political scores.
Finding several irregularities in the conduct of study tours, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in December 2016 had questioned “wastage” of public money. The CAG report had said as study tours were conducted to improve existing infrastructure and facilities for the betterment of citizens, the reports should be submitted within 10 days. In the case of Chandigarh MC, reports were not submitted even after three months; no improvement was made and no new project was started, it said.
