By Hitesh Tikoo

Jammu, Jan 5 (IANS): Mehbooba Mufti spent nearly Rs 82 lakh in six months from January to June 2018 on the refurbishment of her official residence in Srinagar's Gupkar Road, when she was the Chief Minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. The expenditure was all paid by the Government of India, reveals an RTI response.

The RTI application filed by Jammu and Kashmir based activist, Inam-un-Nabi Soudagar, reveals that between January -June 2018, Mufti spent nearly Rs 82 lakh on bedsheets, furniture, TVs and other items.

The RTI shows that on March 28, 2018, Mehbooba spent Rs 28 lakh in a single-day for buying carpets.

In June 2018 alone, she spent more than Rs 25 lakh on various items, including LED TVs worth Rs 22 lakh.

IANS accessed a copy of the RTI response dated September 1, 2020, which showed expenses worth Rs 14 lakh on January 30, 2017. The item included a garden umbrella worth Rs 2,94,314.

The RTI response further reveals that bedsheets worth Rs 11,62,000 were purchased on February 22, 2018.

In March 2018, Mufti spent nearly Rs 56 lakh , including Rs 25 lakh on furniture and nearly Rs 28 lakh on the carpets.

The purchases also involved cutlery items worth Rs 40 lakh in a period of two years, from August 2016 to July 2018.

The details come after the successful completion of recently held District Development Council elections in the union territory, which Mehbooba Mufti's party Peoples Democratic Party had vowed to abandon until Jammu and Kashmir's special status was restored.

However, Mufti's party did contest the elections in which it managed to get only 27 out of 280 District Development Council seats.