SHIMLA, MAY 28: For the first time, an Indian Prime Minister will be holidaying in Himachal Pradesh a second time within two months. Atal Behari Vajpayee was at Manali on April 7 for his three-day pre-summer sojourn and today, he arrived at the same place for a more than week-long stay.The Prime Minister arrived at Bhunter airport where he was received by Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal. Vajpayee later boarded a helicopter for Manali and landed at Sase, from where he drove to his residence at Preeni village near Manali.Till June 4, the Prime Minister will be staying at his private cottage in the village, which has been his favourite retreat for almost over a decade. But he has never been there twice in a summer.The district administration, which has been working overtime to make arrangements for the Prime Minister's trip, is still awaiting the list of family members - his daughter and son-in-law prominent among the guests. However, several members of his personal staff, security officials and teams of SPG have already reached Manali. Any day after June 4, the Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of the 800 MW Kol Dam hydel project, which will be followed by a public rally either at Slapper or Sundernagar.As security expenses are mainly borne by the state, except the travel expenses between Manali and Delhi which will be borne by the Prime Minister and his teams, the State Finance Department - already faced with cash crunch - is finding it difficult to arrange funds though the official line.There are no exact estimates of what the PM's visit will cost, but officials put it at about Rs 50,000 per day, which could go up if the Prime Minister chooses to travel to other destinations. Former Congress minister and PCC vice-president Major [rtd] Vijai Singh Mankotia alleged on Friday at Dharmashala that daily expenses for the PM's stay would exceed Rs 1 lakh per day.His tentative plans include a visit to Keylong - headquarters of the Lahaul-Spiti district - and laying of the foundation stone of the Kol Dam hydel project. Governor Vishno Kant Shastri also proposes to stay at Manali for three to four days and so do some ministers of the state government. The Chief Minister will also be spending some time with Vajpayee. The state government and the ruling BJP leaders are terming the Prime Minister's repeat visit as a matter of great prestige. In 1998, when he visited Manali and later travelled to Shimla, the Prime Minister announced a special package of Rs 300 crore and when he arrived at Manali in December 1999 to lay the foundation stone of the 2100 MW Parbati hydel project, he announced Rs 400 crores. The next official visit of the Prime Minister is also slated for August 2000, when he will visit Kei monastery in Spiti for the Kalchakra ceremony.Already Union Home Minister L K Advani has just returned to Delhi after his four-day summer break at the Raj Bhawan in Shimla. Next comes President K R Narayanan's stay in June at the Retreat, 11 kms from here. Chief Justice of India A S Anand is also expected in Shimla on May 31.
