Chief Secretary’s Party at Holiday Home Sparks Row: Will the Govt Foot the Bill or Will Saxena Pay Up?
75 Officers, Families Dined in Style – Now Citizens Want Accountability
Shimla | Himachal Pradesh Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena has landed in a fresh controversy — this time over a bill of Rs 1.22 lakh for a party he hosted at the state-run Holiday Home Hotel in Shimla.
The guest list included around 75 officers and their families, but the bill has been conveniently sent to the government for payment.
The Holiday Home, run by HPTDC, has already faced the ire of the High Court over pending dues and poor financial management.
But that hasn’t deterred senior bureaucrats from splurging taxpayer money on lavish get-togethers and freebies.
Retired IAS officers and citizens are up in arms, questioning why a private party should be billed to the state.
"If it was a personal event, the Chief Secretary should pay from his own pocket. Public money isn't for bureaucratic leisure," said a retired officer.
He reportedly tried to shield then HPPCL MD Harikesh Meena in the mysterious death case of HPPCL Chief Engineer Vimal Negi.
Saxena also eyed the RERA chair post, but was rejected due to his questionable past. Still, the Sukhvinder Sukhu government extended his tenure by six months, suggesting that he enjoys strong backing from the top.
Interestingly, his predecessor Shrikant Baldi had also faced public outrage for allegedly distributing apple cartons worth lakhs of rupees to friends across India—again, on the taxpayer’s dime.
Now the big question:
Will the Sukhu government clear the Rs 1.22 lakh bill for Saxena’s party? Or will the Chief Secretary be held accountable and made to pay from his own salary?
Either way, citizens are watching. After all, who paid for the party at Holiday Home – the government or the guest?
