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| Ex-council chairman Mickey's lavish spending raises eye-brows | | Austerity thrown to winds! | | Syed Junaid Hashmi
JAMMU, May 27: Despite Government claiming of austerity being in place, lavish could be termed the life which ex-Chairman of Legislative Council and Congress leader Arvinder Singh Mickey lived while officiating as Deputy Chairman of the Upper House.
If the reply to RTI dated October 10, 2011 is taken into consideration, Mickey has allegedly withdrew travelling allowance worth more than Rs. 50 lakh from March-2007 to March 2012, the month when he demitted the office. The reply clearly shows that Mickey initially started by drawing travelling allowance worth Rs. 1.78 lakh for year 2007-08. This was a meager and small spending for his first year in office.
The amount was Rs. 8.41 lakh for the year 2008-09. This is almost 700 times higher than what it was in first year. Thereafter, Deputy Chairman's office went a step ahead and withdrew travelling allowance of Rs. 11.26 lakh during the year 2009-10. This is almost Rs. 3 lakh higher than the amount spent in the previous year and this was also at a time when both Jammu as well as Kashmir regions remained disturbed for almost 6 months.
Mickey kept increasing the travelling allowance and in the year 2010-11, he reached Rs. 19.51 lakh for the reasons best known to the staff and the Deputy Chairman. This amount when compared with the allowance he withdrew in the year 2007-08 is Rs. 18 lakh higher than the amount Mickey drew in his first year in office. Amount was Rs. 7.27 lakh when the RTI was filed and reply was sought. If the sources are to be believed, the amount crossed Rs. 20 lakh when Mickey demitted office.
Besides, withdrawing this huge amount of travelling allowance, he had kept three vehicles at his disposal which included JK01J-8605, JK02S-6472 and Tata Safari Chasis no: MATA 403743ANF05691. Besides, these three vehicles, Mickey consumed 14, 185 liters of petrol from April 2009 to September 2011. If the total is taken into account, Mickey has consumed petrol equivalent to what is spent by a Minister with several portfolios.
Sources said that Mickey has consumed more than 20, 000 liters of petrol but since the RTI reply pertains to the year 2009 and 2011 only, the amount consumed is lesser than the actual. They added that Mickey also ensured that best quality furniture is made available to him, without bothering about the consequences it would have on the state exchequer. Early Times made repeated attempts to reach out to Mickey for his response but his mobile remained switched off. |
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