Supertech twin towers: Senior official who took VRS six years ago under scanner

NOIDA: A former chief architect planner who took voluntary retirement from the Noida Authority six years ago, soon after the Allahabad high court ordered the demolition of Supertech’s twin towers at Emerald Court, is among those under scrutiny as the government examines files to determine the anomalies that facilitated construction.

Sources said that family members of the official are in the real estate business and run a company that has projects in Noida, Greater Noida and Indirapuram in Ghaziabad as well as other parts of the West UP.

The official was at the helm when the planning division of the Noida Authority allowed amendment of the original plan and sanctioned revised maps on two occasions. “Under his tenure, the planning department approved exploitation of the additional floor area ratio and increased the height of the buildings (Apex and Ceyane),” a government official said on Wednesday.

Sources said the state government investigation will go through the income statements of the former chief architect planner and assets mentioned under the names of his immediate family members to estimate their annual income. “We will take help from retired income tax department officers to estimate the value of the known assets owned by the family,” said the government official.

The former chief architect planner told TOI he took retirement due to poor health and to undergo a surgery. He said the sanctions were offered in line with the building bylaws and the team of officials in the planning division had scanned the maps submitted by the developer.

The Noida Authority has, meanwhile, slapped a recovery certificate of Rs 1.72 crore on Supertech for not paying water and sewerage charges. The fine was imposed in view of services that had been provided to the group for Apex and Ceyane, officials said. The Supreme Court has asked the Noida Authority to demolish the towers within three months.