The Uttar Pradesh government has set up a four-member special investigation team (SIT) on the directions of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath under the chairmanship of Sanjiv Mittal, secretary of the Industrial and Infrastructure Development department, to probe the irregularities in connection with the construction of the two multi-storey twin towers by Supertech that came up in Noida, sources said.
Additional Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Singh, Additional DGP Rajeev Sabarwal and Chief Town Planner Anoop Kumar Shrivastava are other three members of the SIT, sources said.
The SIT will investigate the irregularities that transpired between 2004 and 2017 and ensure a time-bound probe into the construction of two multi-storey towers that had come up in violation of building bye-laws. They will submit a report within a week, sources said.
The Supreme Court, on August 31, ordered that the two towers be demolished within three months.
Within hours of the Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath directing on September 1 that inquiry be conducted and stringent action taken against the guilty officials involved in allowing wrongdoings in the construction of the 40-storey twin towers in Noida, an official with the Noida Authority’s planning department was suspended and a former chief architect planner who took voluntary retirement from the Authority is under the scanner, sources said.
The Uttar Pradesh government has suspended a manager in the planning department of the Noida Authority in connection with the construction of two multi-storey towers that had come up in violation of building bye-laws, sources said on September 2.
Mukesh Goyal, manager in the planning department, was nominated to attend the Supreme Court hearings in the Emerald Court case. He regularly attended the court hearings but did not bring case updates and important facts to the notice of senior officers of the Noida Authority, sources said.
The planning manager has prima facie been found guilty of irregularities and irresponsibility in work. A departmental inquiry has already been initiated against him and he has been placed under immediate suspension with effect from September 1, the sources said.
Supertech case: Yogi Adityanath orders strict action against guilty officials
Around a half a dozen other Noida Authority officials are also under scrutiny for their alleged role in the case, they added.
Earlier, Noida Authority had set up a two-member committee to probe the irregularities that took place between 2004 and 2012. The investigation will be completed in about a week’s time. It is being conducted by a two-member team of additional chief executive officers (ACEOs) Praveen Mishra and Neha Sharma.
“Yes, a committee has been set up to enquire the role of officials and will submit its report within 10 days’ time,” Neha Sharma, ACEO, Noida Authority confirmed to Moneycontrol.
“In the preliminary findings, names of eight to nine people have been sent to the government. Action will be taken at the state government’s level,” the official said.
Sources said that officials who were holding key positions in the planning and other departments associated with approvals for construction work between November 2009 and March 2012 are under the radar.
The task laid out for the committee is to determine if the original 15 buildings of the Emerald Court project located in Noida Sector 93A and the twin towers were part of a single layout or two separate projects when further sanctions of the building plans were approved way back in 2005. The developer Supertech was allotted land for the project way back in November 2004.
The committee is also looking at the aspect of height approvals. It was in October 2011 that the planned height of the buildings increased from 66 metres to 121 metres through purchasable floor area ratio (FAR).
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
