Mysuru hotel owner threatens to take legal action for non-clearance of Rs 80 lakh bill for PM’s stay
Mysuru: The owner of the hotel where Prime Minister Narendra Modi stayed during his visit to the city to inaugurate the 50th anniversary celebrations of ‘Project Tiger’ in April 2023 has alleged that bills amounting to Rs 80.6 lakh are yet to be cleared and has warned of approaching concerned authorities to take legal action in the matter.
The Karnataka Forest Department, which was directed to hold a three-day event in April 2023 at an expenditure of Rs 3 crore, was assured that it would receive 100 per cent assistance from the Centre. The program was held as per the directions of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF), with the expenditure hiking to Rs 6.33 crore, reports The Hindu.
The initial estimated amount of Rs 3 crore for the event was released by the Central government, but the bill for the extra Rs 3.33 crore is pending for clearance in spite of the Forest Department bringing it to the notice of the MoEF.
Also, the correspondence between the NTCA and the MoEF shows that the event cost increased from the original Rs 3 crore due to the addition of activities during the event, as directed by the NTCA and as per the requirements of the PM’s program. The event management company, as a result, submitted a revised quotation that was circulated among all officials during a video conference.
The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) of Karnataka wrote to Deputy Inspector-General of the NTCA in New Delhi on September 29, 2023 reminding him of the dues. The NTCA, however, replied on February 12, 2024 that the state government would have to clear the expenses for the stay of the PM’s entourage at Hotel Radisson Blu Plaza in Mysuru during the event.
A second letter was written by the Principal Chief Conservator on March 22, 2024, again reminding the NTCA of the amount to be cleared, including the Rs 80.6-lakh bill for the PM’s stay at Hotel Radisson Blu Plaza. The NTCA has not replied to the Karnataka officer so far.
The General Manager (Finance) of Hotel Radisson Blu Plaza has also reportedly written to the Karnataka Deputy Conservator of Forests Basavaraju on May 21, 2024, stating that the hotel bill was pending to be cleared although more than 12 months had passed since the hotel services were used and the authorities were sent repeated reminders asking for clearance of the bill. The general manager has also informed that an interest of 18 per cent would be applicable to the outstanding amount due to the delayed payment, and demanding the additional sum of Rs 12.09 lakh also be paid as late payment fee.
The hotel management has set a deadline of June 1, 2024 for clearance of the pending amount and also threatened that legal action would be taken if the amount was not settled.
Deputy Conservator of Forests Basavaraju, however, clarified that the State government had refused to clear the bill as per the Central government’s directives as the event was held by the Central government.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
