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Did IAS officer crusade against sand mining?
Was suspended IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal's fight against the sand mining mafia a media hype? A confidential report from the mining department to the Uttar Pradesh government suggests so. The sub-divisional magistrate's actions were but a fraction of the state's offensive against illegal mining. The document, a copy of which is with IANS, says that since her posting in Noida Sep 6 last year, Nagpal was responsible for five raids against gangs taking out sand from the river beds illegally.
According to the report, the sub-divisional magistrate's actions were but a fraction of the state's offensive against illegal mining. "Her suspension was done as she acted in an immature manner while ordering the demolition of an under-construction boundary wall at a mosque in a Noida village," an official said.
Lucknow, (IANS): Was suspended IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal's fight against the sand mining mafia a media hype? A confidential report from the mining department to the Uttar Pradesh government suggests so. The sub-divisional magistrate's actions were but a fraction of the state's offensive against illegal mining. The document, a copy of which is with IANS, says that since her posting in Noida Sep 6 last year, Nagpal was responsible for five raids against gangs taking out sand from the river beds illegally.
Media reports since her controversial suspension last month have said that the officer led hundreds of raids to check illegal mining, forcing a cornered mafia to pull political strings to have her suspended. Nagpal, who could not be reached for comments, was suspended last month and attached to the revenue board.
A senior official told IANS that during her 10-month tenure, Nagpal led only five of the 112 raids against the mining mafia in Noida. Six raids were conducted jointly by the Indian Administrative Service officer and the mining department. Eighty-six raids were credited to the mining department.
Of the 18 first information reports (FIRs) lodged against illegal mining and miners, only two were lodged by Nagpal, nine by the mining department, two after joint raids and five by other departments. Officials in the state government told IANS that these figures contradicted charges that Nagpal was eased out of Noida because she took on the illegal miners.
She claims innocence
Lucknow (PTI): Suspended IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal is reported to have given her reply to the chargesheet that the Uttar Pradesh government had served on her over the demolition of the wall of an under-construction mosque in Gautam Buddha Nagar. TV channels reported that the 28-year-old officer, who was the SDM of GB Nagar, near Delhi, in her reply has stated that she was innocent but there was no official confirmation. The Akhilesh Yadav government had on August 4 served a chargesheet on Nagpal whose suspension on July 27 had triggered a huge controversy.
Nagpal had been given 15-day time to file her reply to the State government and the deadline expires on Monday. Nagpal, who led the crackdown on sand mining mafia in her district, was suspended ostensibly for ordering demolition of a wall of a under-construction mosque in Kadalpur village allegedly without following the due process.
