Rs.115 for 500 ml packaged drinking water pack, just Global Summit things!

The Congress government is spending Rs 115 on each 500 ml packaged water pack at the Global Summit, days after controversy over food plate costs. The premium packs, specially ordered for the event, raise fresh questions amid the State’s ongoing financial constraints

Hyderabad: Days after the row over the cost of food plates served to Miss World contestants at Chowmohalla Palace, the Congress government is now spending Rs 115 on each 500 ml packaged drinking water pack supplied to visitors at the Global Summit.

Branded as Impact Water and carrying the Telangana Rising Global Summit logo, the premium carton-packaged water claims to reduce plastic waste through paper-based packaging with added minerals. Each carton of 24 packs of 350 ml costs Rs 1,896. Manufactured in Mumbai, these packs were specially ordered for the summit.

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Interestingly, staff of the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB), which supplies treated drinking water across the city, are distributing this privately manufactured packaged water at the venue. When questioned, officials said the water packs were ordered exclusively for the Global Summit.

The catering contract for the two-day event has been given to a leading five-star hotel. If Rs 115 is being spent for each 500 ml water pack alone, the cost of each food plate at the summit is anybody’s guess.

On May 15 this year, the Congress government hosted a dinner for Miss World participants at Chowmohalla Palace, which sparked a row over the cost per plate. While the opposition alleged heavy expenditure, the government said only Rs 8,200 was spent per plate.

All this spending comes even as the government expresses inability to extend retirement benefits to its employees and has been claiming a cash crunch. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy himself has mentioned the difficulty in managing Rs 500 crore in monthly capital expenditure.