Latest News | Himachal CM's Media Advisor Weighs in on Row over Top Bureaucrat's Holi Bash Bill

Shimla, Apr 19 (PTI) After a purported copy of a bill of Rs 1.22 lakh for a Holi party hosted by Himachal Pradesh chief secretary surfaced online and created a controversy, chief minister's media advisor Naresh Chauhan on Saturday said that the bureaucrat should bear the cost.

"In my personal opinion, we should avoid such things and I would have suggested to the CS (chief secretary) to treat the party as personal and pay the bill himself," he told media persons.

Also Read | What Are Tardigrades or Water Bears? All About Micro-Animals Likely To Be Sent to ISS by ISRO With Axiom-4 Mission.

When asked whether the bill has been paid by the government, he said the payment probably has not been made yet.

On March 14, lunch and snacks were arranged for 75 guests, including IAS, IPS, and IFS officers and their families, as part of Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena's retirement party. The bill also included expenses incurred on lunch for 22 drivers and other staff, the bill's copy posted on social media showed.

Also Read | Why Raj Thackeray Left Shiv Sena to Form MNS in 2005? As Thackeray Cousins Hint at Possible Reunion Over ‘Hindi Imposition’ Row, Let’s Look Back at What Caused Fallout Between Family 2 Decades Ago.

The bill, issued by Hotel Holiday Home of HP Tourism Development Corporation, was sent to the state's General Administration Department (GAD) for payment.

Following this, the Opposition BJP attacked the government and bureaucracy and said, "When the state is in debt of Rs 1 lakh crore, then such events show that the government and bureaucracy have no concern with the problems of the common people."

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)