Durga Shakti Nagpal, a 28 year old IAS officer was suspended on 27th July 2013 for demolition of a wall at a disputed place in Uttar Pradesh. Actually she was penalized for taking head on the powerful sand mafia in the state. The IAS Association of Uttar Pradesh has expressed solidarity with Durga and disapproved her suspension.
Ms. Nagpal, the sub-divisional magistrate of Gautam Budh Nagar was suspended just 10 months after she got her first posting in the State for the demolition of a wall at a mosque, a disputed place in Greater Noida. The IAS officer had also clamped down on illegal mining.
However, the suspension was condemned by the opposition party who accused the government of acting under pressure from the mining mafia. “What mistake has she made? It is felt she was suspended under the influence of the mafia,” BJP’s Kalraj Mishra reportedly said.
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In reaction to the accusation Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav tweeted “It is an administrative decision. She had ordered demolition of the wall at a place of worship.”
The duty-loving Punjab Cadre IAS officer had tried her best to free her district from the illegal grip of the mafia. She lodged two dozen FIRs against the sand mafia and arrested more than a dozen people after forming a special team to curb rampant illegal mining, especially along the Yamuna and Hindon rivers.
“The entire district has been affected and illegal mining has become a huge problem. The stakes are too high and those involved get huge monetary returns. The act could lead to serious environmental issues and, therefore, needs to be stopped,” she had reportedly stated.
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