M A I N   N E W S

UP suspends 3 bureaucrats in Taj scam

Lucknow, September 25
The Uttar Pradesh Government today suspended former state Chief Secretary D. S. Bagga, former Principal Secretary to the then Chief Minister Mayawati P. L. Punia and former Secretary (Environment) V. K. Gupta for alleged involvement in the Taj Heritage Corridor (THC) controversy.

Announcing this at a press conference here, state Chief Secretary A. P. Singh said among the four officers named by the CBI in the case, former Principal Secretary (Environment) R. K. Sharma had been suspended earlier while three others were suspended today.

Mr A. P. Singh said the charge sheet was likely to be handed over to the suspended officials tomorrow. The government has also set up a two-member inquiry panel to probe into the officials’ misdeeds in the THC case, he added.

Meanwhile, the CBI today handed over to the government a summarised note of its inquiry conducted into the case so far, as directed by the Supreme Court.

The Chief Secretary said the inquiry panel would consist of retired IAS officer of the 1967 batch Hemendra Kumar and Chairman of the UP State Road Transport Corporation Vinod Kumar Mittal of the 1968 batch. The process would be completed by January 18 as per the direction of the apex court giving four-month time to the government to complete its inquiry against the officials.

The then CM Mayawati had already suspended R. K. Sharma on July 2 after the matter came to light. — UNI