Ghaziabad: Notices to 40 GDA officers for inaction on school building on park land

The list of 40 officers, includes assistant engineers and executive engineers who allegedly failed to take action against the land use violation.

The state administration on recommendation of the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) has issued show-cause notices to 40 officers of the development body, including five serving PCS officers, for alleged inaction against a school that was constructed on land set aside for a park in Model Town area of Ghaziabad; the officers allowed the school to operate for years over a decade.

GDA officials demolished the building of St Mary School at Model Town on July 13 this year on the Allahabad high court’s order passed on a PIL filed in 2011. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

The basic education department issued an NOC for the school in 2002.

GDA officials demolished the building of St Mary School at Model Town on July 13 this year on the Allahabad high court’s order passed on a PIL filed in 2011. Ghaziabad officials also sought action against those who failed to check the land use violation.

“The show-cause notice has been issued to officers who were posted with GDA between 2002 and 2016. Show-cause notices have also been issued to five serving PCS officers. This was done after getting directions from the state officials. In all, the 40 officers include nearly 10 PCS officers, but some of them have retired or are dead,” GDA vice-chairperson Ritu Maheshwari said.

“The notices demand explanation of why they could not act for the past several years,” she said.

The list of 40 officers, includes assistant engineers and executive engineers who allegedly failed to take action against the land use violation.

In this context, the Allahabad high court, during a hearing on November 1, had come down heavily on the GDA and said: “We are prima facie satisfied that attempt is being made to implicate only subordinate officers of the Ghaziabad Development Authority, leaving out the senior officers responsible for enforcing the provisions of the Urban Planning Development, namely the vice-chairman and other senior officers (sic).”

The court expressed displeasure and questioned how a vice-chairman of the GDA can in any way permit a public school to get constructed on an area reserved for a park and allow it to function for years.

Later, the court directed secretary of the UP urban planning department to identify the vice-chairman responsible and direct an inquiry against senior officials, just as it was directed against subordinate officers.

In November, during another hearing, principal secretary of the state housing and urban planning department, filed an affidavit before the court disclosing the names of the vice-chairman and the GDA secretary who were posted at the time when the school was built.

The state officials said details of officers involved have been forwarded to secretary, appointment (government of UP), for initiating action against.

Later, the high court directed the chief secretary to ensure action is taken against the officials concerned and the proceedings initiated must be disclosed to the court through an affidavit.