Hotel not to charge Rs 60 lakh after controversy

Leading Middle East-based business honcho Ravi Pillai, whose luxury hotel Raviz had provided the food at a diaspora meet held here in January, on Wednesday decided not to charge the state government the bill of Rs 60 lakh and bear it himself. A controversy had broken out about the “extravagance” in the second edition of the Loka Kerala Sabha (LKS), that was held here over three days starting January 1. Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Mullappally Ramachandran had cried foul on the extravagance. The total bill for food and accommodation provided to 351 delegates was Rs 83 lakh, which included Rs 60 lakh for food, and Rs 23 lakh for providing accommodation by various hotels in the state capital. LKS is a global meet of the Kerala diaspora and was the brainchild of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. In a statement to the media issued here on Wednesday by the Raviz Hotel Group, it said: “This was a needless controversy and hence it has been decided not to levy any charges at all”. (IANS)

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