Ooh..! Foreign Ministry's dinner Rs.10,000 per head :cocktail separately?

Mind-boggling huge amounts of the tax-payers' money are being spent lavishly on entertaining and throwing parties to SAARC summit VIPs, The government got a supplementary estimates bill for Rs. 2880 million passed for expenditure on the summit but it is learnt that certain ministers and government top bureaucrats are trying to grab a lion’s share for throwing dinner parties and other extravaganza paying exorbitant rates.

While President Mahinda Rajapaksa's dinner to 200 invitees cost only Rs.4000/- per head, the dinner being arranged by Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama for 400 invitees at the BMICH (Committee Room A) costs Rs,10,000/- per head without cock-tail, it is reported. Charges on cock-tail would cost another one million rupees. Floral decorations and lighting that has been entrusted to a private Lighting and Sound System company would cost another Rs.2.5 million, it is learnt.

Another dinner party being given by Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohana costs Rs.5000/- per head while expenditure on accommodation to about 100 Foreign Ministry senior officials who are staying for 10 days at the Cinnamon Grand, Trans Asia and Intercontinental hotels will cost another Rs.10 million. They are being provided vehicles and all facilities in the hotels but no coordination work for them with visiting VIPs has been assigned, it is reported.