A young woman IAS officer who came in the limelight recently for clamping down on illegal mining in Noida and Greater Noida was suspended without any proper explanation.
‘Durga Shakti Nagpal, the 2009-batch IAS officer posted as SDM (Sadar) of GB Nagar, (was) suspended late Saturday by Uttar Pradesh government after a dispute related to a religious place,’ a senior official said here. He, however, refused to elaborate. The orders were delivered to her late on Saturday night.
According to sources in police, the SDM ordered demolition of a mosque in Rabupura area of Greater Noida being built illegally on a government land. However, the demolition drive was peaceful and no police complaint was received.
The name of a prominent Samajwadi Party leader and MP candidate from Gautam Buddha Nagar parliamentary constituency, Narendra Bhati, has cropped up in the matter as the officer’s drive went against the interest of Bhati.
According to sources, the demolition of the under-construction religious place was just an alibi to take action as her drive against illegal sand mining and land sharks in the flood plan of Yamuna and Hindon rivers had created quite a turmoil in political circles.
The officer came on the radar of local politicians and sand mafia after she seized 24 dumpers engaged in illegal quarrying and arrested 15 offenders within two days last week. She also, for the first time, constituted flying squads to contain land sharks and sand mafia in the region.
The villages along the rivers – Asgarpur, Nangla Wajidpur, Gulavli, Kambakshpur, Jaganpur-Chaproli -- are considered haven for sand mafia in the region.
During her tenure, the mining department impounded 297 vehicles and machinery and Rs 82.34 lakh as fine in just three months. In June alone the mining department lodged police complaint against 55 people of which in 22 cases courts have ordered the arrest of sand dredgers.
‘Durga Shakti Nagpal, the 2009-batch IAS officer posted as SDM (Sadar) of GB Nagar, (was) suspended late Saturday by Uttar Pradesh government after a dispute related to a religious place,’ a senior official said here. He, however, refused to elaborate. The orders were delivered to her late on Saturday night.
According to sources in police, the SDM ordered demolition of a mosque in Rabupura area of Greater Noida being built illegally on a government land. However, the demolition drive was peaceful and no police complaint was received.
The name of a prominent Samajwadi Party leader and MP candidate from Gautam Buddha Nagar parliamentary constituency, Narendra Bhati, has cropped up in the matter as the officer’s drive went against the interest of Bhati.
According to sources, the demolition of the under-construction religious place was just an alibi to take action as her drive against illegal sand mining and land sharks in the flood plan of Yamuna and Hindon rivers had created quite a turmoil in political circles.
The officer came on the radar of local politicians and sand mafia after she seized 24 dumpers engaged in illegal quarrying and arrested 15 offenders within two days last week. She also, for the first time, constituted flying squads to contain land sharks and sand mafia in the region.
The villages along the rivers – Asgarpur, Nangla Wajidpur, Gulavli, Kambakshpur, Jaganpur-Chaproli -- are considered haven for sand mafia in the region.
During her tenure, the mining department impounded 297 vehicles and machinery and Rs 82.34 lakh as fine in just three months. In June alone the mining department lodged police complaint against 55 people of which in 22 cases courts have ordered the arrest of sand dredgers.