The canteen supplies tea and breakfast to the ministers, IAS officers and other officials working in Mantralaya Bhawan main building of secretariat and at other places.
The dispute over payment of pending bills to the tune of about Rs 70 lakh of the secretariat canteen has increased so much that the canteen was closed by on Tuesday. The canteen supplies tea and breakfast to the ministers, IAS officers and other officials working in Mantralaya Bhawan main building of secretariat and at other places.
The people managing the canteen informed that the payment of about Rs 70 lakhs was pending since one and half year and they were finding it difficult to manage the canteen working in absence of payment from the cabinet secretariat officials whose payments are due.
The matter had few days back became so grave that chief secretary himself had to take the meeting to solve the payment dispute twice in recent months. However, in spite of the seniors showing so seriousness, the payment issue has yet not been resolved.
Canteen manager Shyam Agarwal informed that there was no money to pay the labour and no option, apart from closing the canteen, was left.
When DNA spoke to Anil Gupta, deputy secretary (cabinet), he said that the matter was old and when pressed to know the reason why the payment was not being made, he said that he was in a retirement function.
Therefore, on Tuesday, the doors were locked and the people coming to have their lunch or tea had to make way for two other canteens in the secretariat campus and heavy rush was seen on those other canteens.
The comments...
Canteen manager Shyam Agarwal informed that there was no money to pay the labour and no option, apart from closing the canteen, was left. When DNA spoke to Anil Gupta, deputy secretary (cabinet), he said that the matter was old and he was in a retirement function.
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 "Secretariat canteen")
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