Living to eat - 4

Making A Meal Of It

Bad day at Devaaya
You must have missed it too. Browsing through the December issue of Outlook Traveller, I spotted this on Devaaya, the resort in Diwar, whose restaurant is closed to non-residents including the islanders themselves. "Unfortunately it's all downhill from there (before this the writer describes the resort design and architecture.) No vehicles allowed inside; but why we should have to find the reception desk unaided we don't know. The plastered walls show cracks, the marble in the bathrooms is stained. You share your poolside buffet with crows, the pool with pigeons. The room service menu is whimsically withdrawn. With the property soon to be re-launched as a Wellness resort, the staff seems unsure of what they offer (or don't.) F&B is scary. Only one restaurant is operational - a blessing, given the kitchen hygiene (from black-rimmed teacups to vein-in prawns.) The fare is largely North Indian. Hardly anything Goan, barely any seafood. Yet the one time I have Goan fish curry, it's miles ahead of the rogan josh."

The writer goes on to say: "Trouble is, when the rest of the service grates on the nerves, meals are nigh inedible and peace refuses to come, the knots in your spine don't ease up. We can only hope the place sorts itself out, and soon! Mind you, the Outlook Traveller went there invited by Devaaya.

Stomach this
They can't wait to live it up. Hardly had he taken over his ministry, Vishwajit Rane went gastronomic. He threw a dinner, guess where, at the Cidade de Goa for the advisory council on October 20, 2007. Cost: Rs84,788. That was his first. Other extravagant dinners will follow. You can bet your life on that despite PM Manmohan Singh going on national TV to plead for austerity.

On June 22, 2006 JP Singh hosted a Rs52,594 lunch on board the Noah's Ark for the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment while Pratapsing Rane gave them a Rs 55,615 dinner at his favourite Cidade de Goa and Subhash Shirodkar spent Rs1,07,682 on dinner the previous night also on board Noah's Ark. On June 15, 2006 while Rane was dining out with delegates of the UN Development Programme and Planning Commission members at a cost of Rs4,77,980, Singh was hosting a Rs52,995 dinner for the Planning Commission members. That's Rs5,30,975 worth of food and booze in one night! And, you thought the UN and Planning Commission were meant to do you good. Now, you could be within your rights to think they actually did you in - of your hard earned money. Add that, to the December 23, 2006 Singh's Rs1,28,040 Cidade dinner hosted for the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Food, Consumer Affairs and you wonder when your nightmare over good governance is ever going to end.

Because while your concerns over the perennial shortage of potable water, the garbage problem, your politician's misunderstanding of the word development, their expensive eating out habits, holidaying abroad; turns out your government's top officials too have a thing for the good life.

JP Singh, Chief Secretary
31.01.06 dinner for SK Jain, secy Labour at Hotel Mariott Rs35,293 +3,713 gift.
10.02.06 lunch for Sanjay, jt secy. Civil Aviation at Mandovi Rs3,555.
10.02.06 dinner for Sanjay Narayan at Goa Mariott Rs17,277.
06.03.06 lunch for JP Singh, addl. secretary, Ministry of Labour & Employment at Majestic Rs4,715.
23.03.06 dinner for NDC director general-no details.25.03.06 dinner for advisor (Montek Singh Ahluwalia ) to Dy. Chairman, Planning Commission at Goa Marriott Rs17,927.
25.03.06 dinner for Chief Conservator of Forest at Cidade de Goa Rs52,186+3,380 gift.
03.04.06 dinner for IAS probationers at Cidade Rs26,584.
03.05.06 dinner for Julio Ribeiro at Goa Marriott Rs61,672.
05.05.06 dinner for Manbir Singh, ambassador to Iran at Delhi Darbar Rs15,750.
02.06.06 dinner for Amit Yadav, commissioner, Commercial Taxes at Cidade de Goa Rs38,104+1,352 gift.
14.06.06 dinner for Planning Commission members at Noah's Ark Rs52,995.
22.06.06 lunch for Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Justice & Empowerment at Noah's Ark Rs52,594.
26.06.06 dinner for Chairman, NHAI at Sweet Chilly Rs3,500+1,352 gift.
04.08.06 dinner for Bobby Bedi (film producer) at Delhi Darbar Rs15,188.
24.08.06 dinner for Western Zonal Council at Cidade de Goa Rs92,781.
17.09.06 dinner for JK Dadoo at Goa Marriott Rs67,586+2,704.
01.10.06 dinner for Neeraj Kumar, DGP at Cidade Rs56,915.
13.10.06 dinner for addl. secy. & financial advisor, Ministry of Steel at Sweet Chilly Rs11,404+1,352 gift.
18.10.06 dinner for addl. secy, Ministry of Panchayati Raj at Goa Marriott Rs41,490.
19.09.06 dinner for home secy, GoI at Goa Marriott Rs1,31,456.
02.11.06 dinner for 11th Rajya Sainik board at Cidade Goa Rs24,010.
10.11.06 lunch for selection committee, DPSC at Goa Marriott Rs10,570.
14.12.06 dinner jt. secy, Ministry of Environment & Forests at Majestic Rs9,168.
23.12.06 –dinner for Parliamentary Standing Committee on Food, Consumer Affairs at Cidade de Goa Rs1,28,040.
15.01.07 dinner for trainee officers, Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy at Goa Marriott Rs28,905.
19.01.07 dinner for member, National Commission for ST at Cidade de Goa Rs45,943.
12.03.07 lunch for H. Arakawa at Goa Marriott Rs15,082.
24.03.07 dinner for visiting IAS officers at Cidade de Goa Rs34,986.
04.06.07 dinner for IBIC at Goa Marriott Rs31,875.
11.04.07 farewell dinner for law secy, UK Bakre at FABR Rs52,347+3,713 gift.
27.04.07 dinner for UK Worah, Amjad Tak at FABR Rs66,411.
05.07.07 dinner for one at Goa Marriott Rs20,189.
31.08.07 dinner for Ashok Pradhan, IAS, GOI at Goa Marriott Rs3,206.
08.09.07 dinner for Pravin Kumar, IAS at Goa Marriott Rs9,047.
19.09.07 lunch for Autonomous Management Committee at Goa Marriott Rs14,211.
25.09.07 lunch for Santosh Vaidya, IAS, resident commissioner at Goa Marriott Rs23,535+1,352 gift.
11.10.07 lunch for special invitees at O 'Coqueiro –bill awaited.
10.08.07 lunch for Sanat Kaul, MD, Delhi TTDC at Goa Marriott Rs5,850.
10.11.07 dinner for teachers, prominent citizens at Goa Marriott Rs80,450.
11.10.07 lunch for special invitees and board members at O 'Coqueiro Rs34,643.
17.12.07 lunch for GPSC at Goa Marriott Rs36,276.
17.12.07 lunch for UPSC delegation on Bharat Darshan at Goa Marriott Rs13,796.
17.12.07 dinner for IAS probationers on Bharat Darshan at Goa Marriott Rs22,479.
11.11.07 dinner for Indo Bhutan border management team at Cidade Rs54,528.
19.11.07 dinner for secy, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, GoI at Cidade Rs11,613.
11.12.07 dinner for G. Gupt, IAS and Veenu Bansal, IPS at Cidade Rs46,030+4,065.
07.01.08 dinner for IAS officer of Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy at Goa Marriott Rs17,497.

The government's food bill (and growing) so far:

The government's food bill (and growing) so far:
Digambar Kamat Rs36,47,744
Pratapsing Rane Rs39,72,941
Manohar Parrikar Rs12,05,515
J. P. Singh Rs16,61,290

Total Rs1,04,87,490

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