RMC spent Rs 54.11 lakh on PM’s October visit in run up to Assembly poll

The total payments cleared for PM’s visit on October 19, 2022, stands at Rs 54.11 lakh, including Rs 46.47 lakh to Shree Umiyaji Mandap Decoration, a city-based firm providing decoration services, and Rs 5.77 lakh to Doshi Electric Decoration for its lighting and other electrical works.

The two firms were hired by RMC for decorating Race Course Ring Road, the route of Modi’s roadshow, that culminated in a public meeting where he launched state and Central government projects worth Rs 7,710 crore for Rajkot, Jamnagar and Morbi districts.

Besides expenditure towards decoration, the standing committee also gave its approval to Rs 95,875 paid by the civic body to India Book of Records towards the latter’s fee for recording and recognising an event, wherein a big number of students did colouring in the facial contours of Modi, as a record. The committee also approved Rs 50,000 paid to Takshshila Communication for producing a documentary for the PM’s Rajkot visit.

Of the Rs 46.47 lakh paid to Shree Umiyaji Mandap Decoration, Rs 15.59 lakh was for barricading and illuminating city roads that were part of the PM’s roadshow route. The civic body also approved Rs 35,400 to Shivam Sound Service for making public announcements about Modi’s visit.

The agencies were hired without tendering “given the short notice” at which the event was organised, records the proposal of expenditure cleared by the standing committee. “Given the short notice, neither the required procedure of inviting bids was followed wherever there was room for it nor was ED (earnest money)/CD (caution money) demanded or contract signed,” the proposal stated, requesting to approve such a procedure for execution of these jobs and to show expenditure under the head “shaheri karyakram” or city event.

Around a month later, Modi had addressed an election meeting on the same ground on November 29 while campaigning for the BJP for the first phase of Assembly election for which polling was conducted on December 1.