Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh State Information Department will now foot the Rs 2.5 crore bill that was incurred on the programme organised last August for the immersion of the ashes of late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
According to IANS, the Lucknow Development Authority had organised the function for immersion of ashes on the assurance that the money spent would be compensated.
The bill included the cost of setting up a stage, sound system, floral decorations, lighting, barricading etc.
The matter came to light when a newspaper report quoted LDA Secretary MP Singh said that the state government needed to pay the bills.
According to reports, a number of letters were exchanged between the LDA and the State Information Department regarding the issue.
The department, in their reply dated May 15, said that its budget did not account for such a function.
When the matter kicked up a controversy, the state Information Director Shishir Singh sent a letter to the LDA saying that the Department would foot the bills and procedure for this had begun.
Vajpayee’s ashes had been brought to Lucknow by a special plane by Union Minister Rajnath Singh who is also the MP from Lucknow. The ashes were immersed in Gomti River.
