Activists in Hyderabad will move the Lokayukta against the tourism department stating that the recently held UNWTO ( United Nation World Tourism Organisation) conference had numerous inflated and unnecessary expenses, costing a staggering Rs 2.5 crore to the public exchequer.

The cost of lunch for each delegate was fixed at Rs 3,500, the high tea for each guest cost around Rs 1,200 and the welcome drink was set at Rs 300, the rates quoted were much higher when compared of top hotels, a RTI query revealed. Apart from this, Rs 35 lakh was spent just for branding of the event at about seven places in Hyderabad and no tenders were floated while choosing vendors as per a TOI report.

It was also revealed that the ministry paid Rs 1.5 lakh for renting just two telephones with STD and ISD facilities and spent around Rs 6 lakh for decoration and beautification at Golkonda fort for one cultural event held in the evening.

"I will soon approach Lokayukta since costs have been inflated and money misused," said the RTI applicant M Sai Prasad, a researcher from Osmania University. "I was surprised to know that there was no tendering process involved prior to conduct of the event," he said.

Usually, during such conferences involving a large number of visitors, the government negotiate and bring down the total costs, but here the costs were double than the normal, Prasad said. "The city boasts of many star hotels and they could have gone for some alternate hotel which would have quoted lesser amounts, but they (tourism department) just picked hotels they liked," he observed.

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