Noida official suspended in Supertech twin towers case

NOIDA | LUCKNOW: An official recently shunted out of Noida Authority’s planning department was suspended by the state government late on Wednesday as heads started to roll a day after the Supreme Court ordered the demolition of Supertech’s twin towers at Emerald Court in Noida and prosecution of officials who colluded with the builder.

Mukesh Goyal, a manager, was transferred from Noida Authority last month, soon after the SC’s scathing observations during a hearing in the case on August 5 when it called the authority a corrupt body. The Noida CEO had recommended action against Goyal on the basis of a preliminary inquiry, officials said.

The suspension followed UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s directions on Wednesday morning for strict action against officials involved in allowing anomalies in the construction of the two towers.

Supertech: 7 Noida officials under scrutiny

Presiding over a high-level meeting in Lucknow, Yogi pointed out that the case dated back to 2004 and a special inquiry committee should be constituted to probe the irregularities that happened over a period of time. “Each and every official responsible for the irregularities should be brought to book,” the CM said, directing officials to comply with the SC order.

A team of senior officers has been entrusted with the investigation. Departmental proceedings have also been initiated against erring officials. “The matter was pending in court till now. Action will be initiated against officials after a thorough probe by the special inquiry committee. We will follow every point of the ruling by the apex court,” Noida CEO Ritu Maheshwari told TOI. According to a statement by Noida Authority, plot allotment and sanctioning of maps for the towers happened between 2004 and 2012. The structural maps for the plot were given sanctions in 2005, 2006, 2009 and 2012.

Sources said seven officials in the Noida Authority are under scrutiny for abetting wrongdoing for a prolonged period. An inquiry report being prepared by Noida Authority is expected to be ready within a week and will be tabled before the state government. Officials said the role of employees occupying key positions in planning and other departments associated with approving and allowing construction work between November 2009 and March 2012 is under scrutiny. The foremost question is to determine whether the original 15 buildings of Emerald Court and the subsequent twin towers were treated as a single layout or two separate projects while granting three further sanctions of the original building plan that was approved in June 2005.

Particular attention is on movement of the file on the twin towers after October 2011 as that was the period when the planned height of the buildings increased from 66 metres to 121 metres through purchasable floor area ratio (FAR).

Noida Authority’s probe committee is being headed by two additional CEOs.