Maharashtra government receives legal notice over ₹1.58 crore unpaid bill for Davos trip
Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has received a legal notice from SKAAH GmbH, a Switzerland-based service provider, regarding an unpaid bill of ₹1.58 crore. The payment is allegedly due for hospitality services rendered to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and other officials during the World Economic Forum (WEF) held in Davos earlier this year.
The notice, dated August 28, was addressed to several entities, including the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), the Chief Minister’s Office, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, and the WEF. According to SKAAH GmbH, while the MIDC has cleared ₹3.75 crore of the total amount, the remaining ₹1.58 crore is still pending despite multiple payment reminders.
Responding to the matter, MIDC CEO P. Velrasu stated, “I am not aware of any such notice. However, MIDC will check the vouchers and take necessary action. The matter based on merits will be decided at the earliest.”
The Davos trip has come under fire from opposition leaders, including Aaditya Thackeray from Sena UBT and NCP MLA Rohit Pawar, who have accused the government of overspending on the event. Pawar argued that the government’s actions could harm the state’s image at an international forum like Davos, which is vital for attracting global investments.
State Industries Minister Uday Samant confirmed the receipt of the legal notice but denied any excessive expenditure. “We have not overspent. It is MVA MLAs who are making these allegations. Our legal team will reply to this notice and see what the issue is,” Samant stated.
SKAAH GmbH has warned of potential legal action and claimed that the delay in payments has caused substantial financial damage, affecting their credit and overall financial situation. The firm also raised concerns about the potential impact on international relations between India and Switzerland if the issue is not resolved immediately.
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'Low-quality' catheters supplied to West Bengal govt hospitals at high price, probe ordered
Kolkata (PTI): The West Bengal health department has launched a probe into the supplies of allegedly low-quality and locally made catheters at a high price to several government hospitals, posing a risk to the lives of patients undergoing treatment in these facilities, officials said.
Such central venous catheters (CVCs) were allegedly supplied to at least five medical colleges and hospitals in the state, defying allocation of international standard-compliant CVCs, they said.
The distribution company, which has been accused of supplying these catheters to government hospitals, admitted to the fault but placed the blame on its employees.
"We started checking stocks some time back and found these locally made CVCs in my hospital store. These catheters are of low quality as compared to those allocated by the state. We have informed the state health department," a senior official of the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital told PTI.
Low-quality catheters were also found in the stores of other hospitals, which indicates "possible involvement of insiders in the scam", a health department official said.
The low-quality CVCs were supplied by a distributor in the Hatibagan area in the northern part of Kolkata for the last three to four months, he said.
"Such kinds of local CVCs are priced around Rs 1,500 but the distributor took Rs 4,177 for each device," the official said.
A CVC is a thin and flexible tube that is inserted into a vein to allow for the administration of fluids, blood, and other treatment. It's also clinically called a central line catheter.
"An initial probe revealed that the distribution company Prakash Surgical had supplied the low-quality and locally manufactured catheters to several government hospitals instead of the CVCs of the government-designated international company.
"All the units will be tested and a proper investigation is on to find out who benefited from these supplies," the health department official said.
The distribution company blamed its employees for the supply of inferior quality catheters.
"I was sick for a few months. Some employees of the organisation made this mistake. We are taking back all those units that have gone to the hospitals. It's all about misunderstanding," an official of the distribution company told PTI.
According to another state health department official, a complaint was lodged with the police in this connection.
Asked about how many patients were affected by the usage of such low-quality CVCs, the official said, "The probe would also try to find that out".
According to sources in the health department, some of the staff of the hospitals' equipment receiving departments and some local officials of international organisations might be involved in the alleged irregularities.
