Obama's Mumbai Visit to Cost $200M Per Day: Report

By Jon E. Dougherty at 2 Nov 2010

(Newsroom America) -- A local news service in India says President Obama's upcoming visit will cost U.S. taxpayers some $200 million per day.

NDTV reported that the daily tab covers a myriad of expenses, from vehicles and security to the accommodation of about 3,000 people.

"The huge amount of around $200 million would be spent on security, stay and other aspects of the Presidential visit," a top government official, who was not named in the report, said.

NDTV said U.S. personnel have already been in Mumbai, where Obama will visit, for about a week.

The Economic Times reported last week that the administration has booked the entire Taj Mahal hotel - all 570 rooms - for the duration of the visit, which is expected to last just two days. Dozens of other rooms have been reserved in other hotels, the report said.

The hotel was the site of an attack, allegedly by Pakistan-based terrorists, two years ago. The three-day battle throughout the city killed about 300 people, reports said. A restored hotel was reopened in August 2008.

U.S. and Indian Navy ships will patrol the waters off Mumbai, to provide extra security, reports said.

Contact Jon E. Dougherty