JOIN USFacing a public outcry over legislators undertaking a foreign trip while the State still reels from the effects of drought, the House/Petition Committee chaired by Assembly Deputy Speaker N Yogish Bhat on Thursday decided to indefinitely postpone its plans to go on a junket.
The members of the committee had planned to tour Dubai, Moscow, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Israel and Egypt between September 27 and October 14.
The committee, which met on Thursday, decided to cancel the tour.
“We unanimously decide to cancel the present tour and also indefinitely postpone any move to go on an officially sponsored foreign tour in the wake of the drought in the State,” Bhat said after the meeting.
Displeasure
He said that the committee had decided to drop the plan, keeping in mind the displeasure expressed by the public and on the directions of the Assembly Speaker and the chief minister.
The committee on Papers Laid on the Table of the Legislature headed by A B Maalakaraddi is also said to have dropped its plans to visit USA, Canada and Dubai between September 27 and October 12.
An official in the committee said there was no question of going on a foreign trip when the State was in the grips of a drought.
However, Maalakaraddi was not available for comments.
The Estimates Committee headed by Abhay Patil will also not be going on its foreign trip. Twelve members of the committee were scheduled to fly to Russia and Europe.
However, when contacted, Patil claimed that the committee had never prepared for the foreign trip.
“I have not even forwarded the proposal of our tour to the Speaker for clearance,” he said. Meanwhile, members of the Public Undertaking Committee have continued their tour of South American countries.