There has been an uproar in the political camp of the state on this matter. Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi MLAs, including Shiv Sena UBT’s Aditya Thackeray and NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar, have alleged that the government has spent more than necessary on the Davos trip.
A Switzerland-based company has sent a legal notice to the Maharashtra government over alleged non-payment of bills worth Rs 1.58 crore. This bill is related to the visit of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and some of his ministers. In January this year, CM Shinde had visited Switzerland to attend the World Economic Forum held in Davos. During this time, a delegation from Maharashtra also accompanied him, which had attended the meeting to attract investment in the state. A company provided hospitality to these people during their stay in Davos. The hotel where the delegation stayed and food was reportedly not paid for. Hence the company has sent a legal notice to the Maharashtra government for failing to pay the dues of Rs 1.58 crore.
On August 28, hospitality company SKAAH GmbH sent a notice in this regard to Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), Maharashtra Chief Minister’s Office, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and the World Economic Forum, alleging that the government company MIDC had embezzled Rs 1.58 crore. has not been paid even though the Swiss company had submitted bills for the services provided during the World Economic Forum conference held between January 15 and 19.
According to the notice, out of the total bill, Rs 3.75 crore has been paid, while an amount of Rs 1.58 crore is outstanding. An Indian Express report said that when contacted, MIDC CEO P Velarasu denied receiving any such notice. “I am not aware of any such notice. However, MIDC will investigate the vouchers and take necessary action. The matter will be decided on merits as soon as possible,” he said.
Here, there is an uproar in the political camp of the state on this matter. Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi MLAs, including Shiv Sena UBT’s Aditya Thackeray and NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar, have alleged that the government has spent more than necessary on the Davos trip. In a post on social media platform ‘X’, Pawar claimed that the incident has tarnished the state’s image at the World Economic Forum and given a bad message to investors.
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According to parts of the notice posted by Pawar on ‘X’, the company ‘SKAH GmbH’ was appointed by MIDC to provide catering and hospitality services to the Maharashtra delegation. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was part of the delegation that went to Davos to attract investors. It said that dues of Rs 1,58,64,625.90 are to be paid. Meanwhile, state Industries Minister Uday Samant said Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), which organized the visit, has said that no extra expenditure was incurred during the Davos visit, contrary to the company’s claim. (with language inputs)
