Bengaluru: The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) is yet to settle Rs 80 lakh exclusively spent on the stay of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a luxury hotel in Mysuru city in April, 2023, said Minister for Forests and Environment Eshwar Khandre.
Modi had visited Mysuru city and stayed at a luxury hotel to attend an event to mark 50-years of Project Tiger wherein he released a tiger estimation report and went on a safari in Bandipur Tiger Reserve which was first national park to fall under Project Tiger.
The Minister said the total expenses stood at Rs 6.33 crore and officials concerned of NTCA cleared Rs 3 crore towards the conduct of the event in Mysuru city but the NTCA needs to clear another Rs 3.33 crore expenses towards the hospitality of the Prime Minister and also other expenses incurred for the conduct of Project Tiger-50 to mark the occasion of 50 years of launch of Project Tiger in the country aimed at conservation of tigers and rise their numbers in the wild.
Khandre said the NTCA had agreed to meet the expenses of the Project Tiger-50 event held in Mysuru city and the State Government was not part of the conduct of the event since the model code of conduct for the 2023 Assembly polls in Karnataka was in force then.
“No logo of the Karnataka government was used for the Project Tiger event,” stated the Minister but some Karnataka forest officials were part of a team formed for the Project Tiger-50 event.
Asking to clear the bills, the Minister said, various letters have been written to the NTCA officials but nothing substantial happened so far and even phone calls were made to the officials concerned of the NTCA to get the bills cleared.
“It has come to my notice that bills have not been cleared by the NTCA so far and steps will be initiated to get the bills cleared from NTCA,” stated the Minister.
