Shimla, Apr 19 (PTI) After a purported copy of a bill of Rs 1.22 lakh for a Holi party hosted by Himachal Pradesh chief secretary surfaced online and created a controversy, chief minister’s media advisor Naresh Chauhan on Saturday said that the bureaucrat should bear the cost.

“In my personal opinion, we should avoid such things and I would have suggested to the CS (chief secretary) to treat the party as personal and pay the bill himself,” he told media persons.

When asked whether the bill has been paid by the government, he said the payment probably has not been made yet.

On March 14, lunch and snacks were arranged for 75 guests, including IAS, IPS, and IFS officers and their families, as part of Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena’s retirement party. The bill also included expenses incurred on lunch for 22 drivers and other staff, the bill’s copy posted on social media showed.

The bill, issued by Hotel Holiday Home of HP Tourism Development Corporation, was sent to the state’s General Administration Department (GAD) for payment.

Following this, the Opposition BJP attacked the government and bureaucracy and said, “When the state is in debt of Rs 1 lakh crore, then such events show that the government and bureaucracy have no concern with the problems of the common people.” PTI BPL AMJ AMJ AMJ