The practice of parliamentary committees conducting their meetings in five star hotels and wasting public money should be stopped, said Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar."Staying in five stars by making PSUs arrange for it is not right," said Parrikar during the concluding session of the 16th All India Whips' conference held at a South Goa resort late Tuesday.He said that lawmakers should travel on at least one study tour in five years, so that they could get an international exposure, as long as such trips were not reduced to a junket.
"Wastage of public money should be stopped. For example if you are enjoying at the cost of government that has to stop. That's why I say if you have committee meetings everywhere... most of the time they are converted into a tourism occasion... it should be stopped," Parrikar said.Since the parliament itself does not fund such trips, public sector undertakings were tapped to foot the bill for such events, which the chief minister said was not the right practice.
"I am of the firm belief that MLAs and MPs should be allowed to see the country and world. But it should not be converted into a jaunt. It is not for fun," Parrikar said."They should also see the international development. There is nothing wrong with that. Once in five years time at least, one tour has to be undertaken. But it should be a study tour, it should not be a junket tour," the chief minister said.