Noida, Greater Noida, Yamuna Expressway authorites lost ₹2,314-cr revenue.

The Uttar Pradesh local fund audit (LFA) in has found that the three industrial bodies of Noida, Greater Noida and the Yamuna Expressway witnessed losses totalling ₹2,314 crore on account of various irregularities between 2010 and 2016. The audit report was tabled by the finance department in the Uttar Pradesh assembly on Tuesday. Noida sustained a loss of ₹863 crore, Greater Noida ₹1,190 crore and Yamuna Expressway a loss of around ₹261 crore, said the audit report. (HT Archive) The audit was conducted in pursuance to an announcement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who during his election campaigning for assembly polls in 2017, had assured residents of an audit to establish transparency and accountability in the functioning of government bodies. According to the audit, losses are registered by different departments, including land, water works, group housing, health, horticulture and sewer, among others.

The LFA said the three authorities commissioned irregularities at different levels by executing projects without seeking the state government nod; selling public assets at lower rates; not collecting government revenue from defaulters; making payment to contractors without getting the work done; buying exotic variety of plants without such requirement; selling group housing space for free to realtors; and offering financial aid to police without seeking approval from the state, among other lapses. The audit report was tabled by the finance department in the Uttar Pradesh assembly on Tuesday. Noida sustained a loss of ₹863 crore, Greater Noida ₹1,190 crore and Yamuna Expressway a loss of around ₹261 crore, said the audit report. “As per procedure. the authority will present justifications along with proof as to why and in what conditions these decisions were taken. The state government will require answers against each point mentioned in the audit report in order to resolve the issues raised by the audit,” said Satish Pal, additional chief executive officer, Noida authority. The report mentioned a total of 11 irregularities against Yamuna Expressway, 49 points against Noida, and 21 points against Greater Noida. Noida witnessed the highest loss as the authority had not collected ₹134 crore revenue from the defaulter realtors who had taken the housing land on instalment and stopped payments. The report said the authority did not take strict steps to collect this money from realtors. The Noida authority also executed a project of ₹3 crore related to supplying water to the Noida golf course in violation of rules as it is run by a trust and not owned by the government, said the report. In another instance, the audit report found that a company named Anand buildtech Private Limited was paid ₹13 lakh without doing any job 18 days after it got the tender. The Noida authority paid ₹6 crore to police for providing cars and drivers without seeking a state nod. The authority spent ₹2.3 crore on Mahamaya Balika Inter College’s maintenance without any approval or requirement and ₹45 lakh on ‘expensive plants’ without requirement for the same at Noida’s Panchsheel Balak Inter College.

The authority also spent ₹2 crore on SC-ST hostel maintenance and plants without any requirement for the same, said the report. In the case of Greater Noida, the report said the authority sold floor area ratio (allowing realtor to cover more space and go vertical) at lower rates causing a loss of ₹15.56 crore. Further, it allowed free FAR to realtors in the authority’s 2010 scheme, causing a loss of ₹110 crore, said the report. “These objections raised by the audit report will be answered by the authorities, justifying each decision. Issues/objections not resolved even after replies/justifications then will be taken up to state government public accounts committee for final action,” said Saumya Srivastava, officer on special duty, Greater Noida authority. The Yamuna Industrial Development Authority (Yeida) caused losses in distributing land compensation to farmers, planting trees in violation of rules, and carrying out maintenance work without requirement, said the report. “We will respond to the issues raised in the audit report as per the rules,” said Arun Vir Singh, chief executive officer, Yeida.

In light of the audit report, residents said there should be prompt action against the authorities for causing loss of public money through irregularities. “If there are irregularities, we demand that strict action be taken against the officials who were involved in commissioning the anomalies. If there will be no action, then officials will continue to flout rules as they will not fear the law,” said Raghuraj Singh, a social activist and farmer leader from Noida’s Sector 59. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Vinod Rajput writes on environment, infrastructure, real estate and government policies in Noida and Greater Noida. He has reported on environment and infrastructure in Delhi, Gurgaon and Panchkula in the past.