CBI to take action against six Noida Metro officers on corruption complaint

Noida, India (Urban Transport News): Lokayukta Justice Sanjay Mishra has recently completed the investigation against six senior officers of Noida Metro Rail Corporation Limited (NMRC) against serious allegations of corruption and irregularities committed by them. The report has been submitted to the Uttar Pradesh Administration for action. The UP government will forward the report to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for further action and file the charge sheet against the corrupt officers. Lokayukta has initiated the investigation against six senior officers of Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC) in August last year after receiving serious complaints on corruption in recruitment and financial irregularities.

The names of these six officials are - P.D. Upadhyay, Executive Director/Finance and Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO); Manoj Vajpayee, General Manager (Technical), Rajneesh Pandey, Additional General Manager (Human Resource) and Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO); Kanishk Singh, Dy. General Manager (Operation/Revenue/AFC Tele); Nisha Wadhawan, Company Secretary and V.P.S. Komar (Staff Officer of Managing Director, NMRC). During his investigation, Lokayukta has found serious financial irregularities, partiality with SC/ST employees and corruption in the recruitment of personnel in Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC) and recommended CBI action against the charged officers. 

The complaint was lodged by Advocate Amita Singh, Delhi High Court, and Advocate Madan Ram Sonkar, Allahabad High Court. The complainants have requested CBI action in their complaint against these officers as they were provided enough evidence in support of their complaints. In view of the outcome of the complaint against him, PD Upadhayay has left Noida Metro (NMRC) with effect from February 14, 2020, and going the USA on a 15-days tour on his personal expenses. On August 26, 2019, Prakash Bindu, Special Secretary, UP government had issued transfer order of PD Upadhyay from Noida Metro to Government Medical Science department, Greater Noida, but Upadhyay has not left NMRC at his own decision.

Denying the CBI enquiry against the NMRC officials, Sandhya Sharma, the spokesperson for NMRC said that complaint has been made against these officials in Lokayukt but the investigation is by Lokayukta is under process and no report has been submitted by Lokayukta regarding this as on date, hence there is no question of the recommendation of CBI enquiry. "This is the status of the matter. We would not like to comment further on this issue until the report of the Lokayukta is finally submitted," she added.

It is pertinent to mention here that the accused Rajneesh Pandey was earlier working in Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) as Sr. Dy. General Manager (Human Resource) and he was relieved from DMRC in 2018 due to several allegations reported against him in irregularities in recruitment. He along with his colleague Norattan Lal, then Joint General Manager (Human Resouce) in DMRC had helped S.K. Sinha, then General Manager (Human Resource) in recruiting his wife Asmika Kumari Sinha and other relatives in DMRC illegally.