Thaindian News

Chandigarh, Oct 30 (IANS) It is supposed to make waves, that too in the air, but a novel business venture - Dining In The Sky (DITS) - launched here barely a week ago has ended up raising dust instead.
It involves a giant table which can accommodate up to 22 people being pulled 150 ft above the ground by a crane. A customer has to pay Rs.500 per person for each session which lasts about 15 to 20 minutes, during which snacks and cold drinks are served.

Commando Caterers Pvt Limited (CCPL), the company which imported Belgian machinery for the venture, has alleged that Chandigarh’s Finance Secretary Sanjay Kumar is creating obstacles in the project even as the latter says his image is being tarnished needlessly.

Kanwaljit Singh Walia, director, CCPL, submitted a 10-page complaint to the Chandigarh administration, vigilance department and senior police officials Oct 27, demanding a thorough probe in the matter.

“Once Sanjay Kumar was a very good friend of mine but today he is giving statements that he does not even know my name. Things were going very smoothly and he was also in favour of the DITS initiative, but once we refused his proposal of making him a partner in the project, things drastically changed,” Walia told IANS.

“He told me to make him a partner and in return he said he would facilitate us in getting more contracts. But it was against my principle as I could not indulge in any unscrupulous methods, so I bluntly rejected it, infuriating Kumar,” Walia said.

The venture was launched Oct 24 by city-based CCPL in collaboration with the Belgium-based company DITS at Kalagram, the cultural hub of Chandigarh. It has become a major attraction for visitors at Chandigarh’s first ‘National Crafts Mela’ at Kalagram from Oct 24 to Nov 2.

The complaint also said Kumar created a ruckus on the site of DITS at Kalagram Oct 24. “Kumar came along with his four security guards on Oct 24 evening and forcibly entered the restricted area. He also misbehaved with the employees of CCPL, used abusive language and threatened them with dire consequences.”

However, Kumar denies the allegations and says they are an attempt to tarnish his image.

“I do not know why he is dragging my name into this dispute as I do not even know him. Why should I have any problem with them or with their project? I had not misbehaved with anybody. This is just an attempt to blemish my clean image,” stated Kumar.

Walia stated, “Many times I had gone to visit him in his office. You can check his call details as a number of times he had called on my mobile and also called the deputy commissioner of this city to help me in this project.”

Sources told IANS that Walia got a call from Chandigarh administrator S.F. Rodrigues’ office late Wednesday evening, assuring him of justice, and asking him to avoid divulging details of the complaint in the media.

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