‘Officers should lead simple life’: Will request Modi, Shah to ensure no business class at taxpayers’ expense, says Chandigarh Administrator Purohit | Chandigarh News

“I have told them public money is public money. It is not our money. When you travel on government’s funds, you take the business class and when you have to go on your own funds, you see options like taking train and economy. So why not exercise the same restraint here? You officers are supposed to be the trustees. People repose faith in you.

To save public money and be honest is the way forward. And I would rather say this business class travel on taxpayers’ funds should be banned for everybody. So I would request the Prime Minister and Home Minister when I meet them that, if possible, an office order be given out by the Central government at the national level to ban this. Why splurge thousands on same travel which can be done economically? Just to satisfy their ego….it is not good. One should remain humble,” Purohit said.

He explained how he has never taken a business class, something that was being taken for Chandigarh-Delhi travel as well. “When I was the Governor of Assam in 2016, I would always make sure and travel by economy class. One day I was told the economy class is full when I had to travel from Guwahati to Delhi. The economy class fare was Rs 5,000. They said that only business class is available and I asked how much is the difference. They said it is Rs 35,000 and I said forget it, let’s take next flight in odd hours, be it early morning. So that’s the difference. I have been the Governor for seven years and never in my entire tenure, I have travelled by business class ever,” Purohit said at Punjab Raj Bhawan.

He went on to say, “Now, if you see economy class from Chandigarh to Delhi is Rs 3,000, so why do you have to spend public funds? That too more than seven times for business class travel. Business class ticket is over Rs 25,000. It is the hard-earned money of a taxpayer.All the officers running the city should save public money. So I have restricted them now that if they have to travel to Delhi, at the moment, you go by train. Such good trains are available and it takes three hours and a half only.”

The Administrator said that “he told the officers that even when they go by flight, it takes nearly three and a half hours only — while checking in and reaching the airport, one-and-a-half-hour prior and then getting down and going to the destination”. Purohit said he has urged the officers to “lead a simple and transparent life and not a lavish one at the cost of taxpayers”.

“Train travel is so comfortable. There is executive class, they can go by that. They should lead a simple life. I read in one of the magazines, when Mahatma Gandhi was asked why he booked a third class, his reply was because there is no fourth class. So, this is how you should lead a life — a simple one. I have told the officers spending over Rs 25,000 on a 45- minute travel is not acceptable at all,” Purohit said.

The Administrator said that while being in Tamil Nadu when he was the Chancellor, he always travelled by economy class and he wrote a circular telling all vice-chancellors that whenever they have to go on an official tour, they should go by economy class.

Asked if any special inquiry would be conducted into the UT officer’s air travel, he said, “That is not needed as from today itself, I am sure they will follow my orders. And the purpose is solved which is to save public funds.”

Asserting that when Prime Minister Narendra Modi tells his officers to eliminate corruption, Purohit said that the only way forward is to curtail such expenses.