According to a statement by Noida Authority, 20 of its officials named in the Supertech twin tower case have retired, two are dead and four are still in office
A day after the Uttar Pradesh government suspended three officials for their role in the illegal construction of two 40-storey towers in Noida by Supertech, the Noida Authority filed a first information report (FIR) against 26 former and current officials, four directors of the real estate company and two architects for violating building regulations and granting approvals to the project.
Of the Noida Authority officials named in the case, 20 have retired, two are dead and four are still in office, a statement by the authority said.
The Noida Authority assigned its land department personnel to demarcate the green belt at the twin towers project in Sector 93A of Noida, which is on the outskirts of New Delhi. It has also ordered an enquiry to pin responsibility for allowing exploitation of the green belt.
The Uttar Pradesh government on October 3 suspended three Noida Authority officials for their role in the illegal construction of the two 40-storey towers in Noida that the Supreme Court has ordered be demolished.
“Of the four serving officials {against whom an FIR has been lodged}, one has already been suspended from work. Departmental inquiry is being initiated against the remaining three officials. Order has been issued for action against retired officials as per procedures,” the statement by Noida Authority said
It also directed that an FIR be lodged with the state vigilance commission against these officials, four directors and two architects of Supertech.
The UP government’s special investigation team, in a report, said Supertech ḥad encroached on a 7,000 square metre green belt that was part of the layout plan, over which a departmental inquiry against Noida Authority officials is already underway. The report named the 26 officials of the Noida Authority for alleged wrongdoing in the case.
Observing that there was collusion between Noida Authority and the builder in the construction of the 40-storey twin towers in Noida, the Supreme Court on August 31 ordered the demolition of the structures located in Sector 93 A. The court held that the construction violated the minimum distance requirement and had been built illegally without taking the consent of the individual flat owners as required under the UP Apartment Act. A bench of justices DY Chandrachud and MR Shah ordered that the demolition of the twin towers be completed within three months.
The court said that the work of demolition shall be carried out by the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) to ensure the exercise is safely executed. In case CBRI refuses, another authority will be appointed for the task.
According to reports, the Noida Authority has approached the Roorkee-based CBRI to speed up the process of razing the twin towers and sought a report from the institute within this week.
The Supreme Court, on October 4, dismissed Supertech’s application to save one of the two 40-storey towers in its Emerald Court project in Noida that were ordered to be razed over the illegalities on August 31.Supertech had later approached the Supreme Court to stop the demolition, saying that it has an alternative plan that could save several crore rupees from going waste and also prove to be “beneficial for the environment”.
