File photo of Durga Shakti Nagpal
Amid raging controversy over IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal's suspension, the Centre today constituted a three-member panel to probe allegations of illegal sand mining in Gautam Budh Nagar district in Uttar Pradesh.
The committee which will be headed by Dr Saroj, Director in the Environment and Forest Ministry, has been asked to submit its report by Friday after ascertaining the "factual position with a view to suggesting further course of action in the matter".
"Illegal mining has serious environmental and ecological repercussions," the ministry said, adding that in the last few days, various media reports have been highlighting the menace of alleged illegal sand mining in Gautam Budh Nagar.
28-year-old Durga Shakti Nagpal was suspended on July 27 after she ordered villagers at Kadalpur in Greater Noida to pull down a wall of a mosque complex being built on government land.
Seeking to downplay a local intelligence report which said that Ms Nagpal was not present during demolition of the wall, state minister Brahma Shanker Tripathi said, "An inquiry is being conducted and the truth will come out soon."
The Local Intelligence Unit (LIU) report sent to the state government had claimed that wall of under-construction mosque was demolished in the presence of SDM Jewar and that Ms Nagpal, SDM (Sadar), was not at the spot. Both Jewar and Sadar fall under G B Nagar.
The Akhilesh Yadav government, which has drawn flak for the suspension, has refused to revoke its decision and chargesheeted the officer.
Besides the LIU report, the District Magistrate, GB Nagar, had stated in his report to the state government that Ms Nagpal had not got the wall of any religious place demolished.
Meanwhile, in Delhi, the over 4,700 strong IAS Officers' Association sought changes in rules including prior sanction of the Centre before any officer is suspended by the state government.
The secretary of the association Sanjay R Bhoos Reddy said a mandatory showcause notice should be served to an officer seeking his or her explanation within a specified timeframe before suspension.
Ms Nagpal's suspension has evoked sharp reaction from Opposition parties which alleged that she was removed for acting against the sand mafia. Ms Nagpal, a 2010 batch officer, is at present attached to the Revenue Board in Lucknow.