Bogollagama busts Rs. 76 mn in one year on air travel“Minister Bogollagama undertook another visit to Italy thereafter, accompanied by two persons incurring heavy expenditure that exceeded Rs. 27 million for this single trip. The exact cost of these three travellers was a mammoth Rs. 27,303,881.”
by Dilrukshi Handunnetti
Courtesy: The Sunday Leader
(December 21, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The suave, elegant Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rohitha Bogollagama has been flying high during the year 2007, and the financial cost of his official flying together with his entourages amounts to a mammoth Rs. 76 million.
The actual cost for flying to 26 destinations during the past year is Rs.76,178,113 to be exact.
But here is the brow raising fact; for all that travel, there is a budgetary process. The budgeted allowances for airfare, hotel charges, combined allowances, incidental expenses for the year 2007 was Rs. 30 million. Needless to say all that travel, while necessary they may have been, had far exceeded the allocation, and in fact cost more than double.
Likewise, the budgeted amount for Rs. 2005 was Rs.15 million and for year 2006, it was Rs. 25 million. Two supplementary estimates had to be moved in support of the incurred expenses in the years 2005 and 2006, with an extra Rs. 4 million and Rs. 5 million being voted in to settle bills.
However, no supplementary estimate has been moved for the year 2007.
Travel details from 2005
The above facts became known when the travel details of foreign ministers from 2005 to 2007 were submitted to parliament in December in response to an oral query raised by UNP Parliamentarian Ravi Karunanayake.
In the given response, it was stated that: 'all the visits became inevitable due to official obligations on bilateral and multilateral relations which required the presence of the Minister of Foreign Affair in his official capacity.'
Back to Minister Bogollagama and his jet setting.
Following the removal of Mangala Samaraweera from the portfolio of Foreign Affairs, it quickly fell into the hands of Rohitha Bogollagama whose sartorial elegance has further increased since the important ministerial appointment.
His first mission was to India and Germany in February 2007, accompanied by two officials, D. D. A. Weerasinghe and R. C. Fonseka. For this trip, the cost of airfare, hotel charges, combined allowances and incidental expenses and other expenses totaled to a considerable amount - Rs. 1,319,250.
Pakistan bound
The Minister was Pakistan bound next, in fact within days. The Islamabad trip was undertaken without accompanying officers and it cost Rs. 504,372.
During the same month, he flew to China accompanied by D. D. A. Weerasinghe and R. C. Fonseka. Collectively for that trip, they spent a total of Rs. 1,134,172.
March began with a visit to London, accompanied again by two officials. This trip was on the steep side with the collectively incurred expenditure totaling to Rs. 5,458,229.
Then came a combined tour of New York, Washington and New Delhi, which was undertaken with Foreign Ministry official S. G. E. C. Fernando. The US-Indian tour incurred a staggering cost of Rs. 6,871,043.
His next trip was also to New Delhi at a cost of Rs. 629,171. Two officials accompanied the Minister.
Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama next took wing to a holy land. He visited Rome unaccompanied. The expenditure incurred however, was not included in the graph.
Visit to ancient land
The next visit was to Kuwait together with D. D. A. Weerasinghe with the cost being in the range of Rs.247,409.
This was swiftly followed by a visit to another ancient land, Iran with two officials in tow, namely Chula de Silva and Asoka Rajapakse. The collective expenditure amounted to Rs. 1,420,295.
Next the Minister combined visits to Singapore and Seoul, travelling alone this time. The cost for both trips amounted to Rs. 949,911.
Still travelling within the same region, the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister next set foot in Japan. Accompanied by two officials, this trip cost well over the average expenditure. The trio's visit collectively cost Rs. 3,730,293.
The Minister was Delhi bound next for which trip the incurred expenditure was Rs. 613,188.
Accompanied by Nishantha de Silva, the Foreign Minister was next off to Yangoon incurring a total cost for two of Rs. 466,351.
Off to a SAARC country
Thereafter he was Dhaka bound, and for travelling to a SAARC country on a two-day visit accompanied by two officials, the cost was Rs.1, 690,362.
Minister Bogollagama undertook another visit to Italy thereafter, accompanied by two persons incurring heavy expenditure that exceeded Rs. 27 million for this single trip. The exact cost of these three travellers was a mammoth Rs. 27,303,881.
His visit to Manila with P. C. de Silva came at the cost of Rs. 869,698. while his next visit, made to Libya with two officials cost the state another Rs.1,316,875.
Minister Bogollagama next took off to Malaysia, this time too, accompanied by two officials at a total cost of Rs.410, 722.
A long haul combined trip to some exotic European destinations came next at a cost of over Rs. 6 million. The destinations included Paris, Brussels, Berlin and Frankfurt, and culminated in a tour of the US, undertaken with two officials in tow. For the entire tour of multiple destinations, the cost was Rs. 6,313.184.
To London and Washington
The Minister's next tour was to London, New York and Washington, undertaken alone but costing the state over Rs. 10 million, Rs. 10,499,118 to be exact.
For his next visit to India, Minister Bogollagama spent Rs. 200,286 on himself and one official, Nishantha de Silva.
The only low cost tour was undertaken next by the high spending Minister, and this was to India again, unaccompanied, which cost Rs. 43,402.
Still travelling within the SAARC region, the airborne Minister next took off to the threatened coral islands of the Maldives. Three officials accompanied him and the total cost incurred by all four amounted to Rs. 195,982.
The Minister's 23rd official trip for year 2007, accompanied by Nishantha de Silva was made to London. This brief trip cost a total of Rs. 703,474.
After London, the next destination was in the African continent, Uganda to be precise, less traversed land for any foreign minister from this region perhaps. Accompanied by B. A. Leonidas and G. H. I. Cooke, the cost was Rs. 660,895.
His seventh and last trip to India for the year 2007 was a combined tour connected to an official visit to Japan as well. Accompanied by two officials this time, the delegation's total cost was Rs. 851,063.
The final listed visit for the past year was undertaken to China and London as a combined visit. The Minister was accompanied by B. A. Leonidas, P. C. de Silva and Tikiri Bandara and this four-member delegation this time incurred expenditure amounting to Rs. 1,775,486.
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