Vadodara corporators embark on taxpayer-funded ‘educational’ trip to Sikkim

Vadodara : Two years ago, female corporators of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation took an educational trip to Sikkim at a cost of ₹22 lakh. Now, 20 male corporators from both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Congress have embarked on a similar journey to Sikkim.

The male corporators left for their educational visit on Thursday, with a seminar scheduled for March 7 and 8. On Thursday morning, 20 corporators and one officer traveled from Vadodara to Ahmedabad Airport in six corporation vehicles before boarding an early morning flight to Sikkim. Their expenses for the trip are being covered by the civic body. They are expected to return to Vadodara on March 12, enjoying the tour in the meantime.

When female corporators visited Sikkim in 2023, the corporation spent ₹22 lakh. The question now is: how much will this trip for male corporators cost the corporation? In the past, corporators have also toured Shimla, Kerala, and Indore.

List of corporators on tour:

BJP corporators:
Deputy Mayor Chirag Barot, Srirang Iyer, Umang Brahmabhatt, Ajit Dadhich, Mahavir Singh Rajpurohit, Vinod Bharwad, Dr. Hitendra Patel, Naitik Shah, Hirabhai Kanjwani, Narsinh Chauhan, Smit Patel, Haresh Jinagar, Ranchhod Rathwa, Ashish Joshi, Nilesh Rathod, and Ghanshyam Patel.

Congress corporators:
Jahan Bharwad, Harish Patel, Balu Surve, and Deputy Mayor’s P.A. Naresh Baria.