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Travel-Allowance bills of Meira Kumar

Kashmir Times. Dated: 6/27/2017 11:55:45 AM

Dear Editor,
It refers to copy of hand-written register provided by Lok Sabha Secretariat in respect of Travel-Allowance bills of the then Speaker Meira Kumar and others during earlier UPA regime. Surprisingly the air-tickets both for domestic and international flights were booked through private travel-agents mainly Kuoni Travels India private Limited rather than government-owned company Balmer Lawrie and Company Limited. It should be ensured that air-tickets booked at government-expense should be booked through government-owned company rather than private travel-agents except in cases of emergencies reasons for which should be clearly specified. An enquiry is necessary why Lok Sabha secretariat booked air-tickets through private travel-agent rather than government-owned company.
Moreover now-a-days there is a system whereby flying-points are given by the airline-companies to frequent travellers, which can be utilised later by flyers for their private visits even though tickets accumulating flying-points are purchased from government-accounts. System should be formulated whereby flying-points accumulated on air-tickets from government-accounts and public-sector-undertakings may be accumulated in accounts of central and state governments separately to be adjusted against cost of future air-tickets to be purchased from respective government-accounts.
—Subhash Chandra Agrawal,
1775 Kucha Lattushah
Dariba, Chandni Chowk Delhi.