Citizens' Accountability LedgerWho owned the mess? 25 years, every party, on the record

Case 04 · Public money

Taj Corridor. A riverbed project, and a governor who refused sanction

2002 to 2003

Sanction refused. Case never tried.

8,627 days since Recorded outcome: Sanction refused. Case never tried..

Human cost
Construction on the Yamuna floodplain beside a World Heritage monument, without the clearances it required
Financial cost Est
About ₹175 crore released for a project that was never lawfully cleared

What happened

A project to build tourist facilities on the Yamuna riverbed beside the Taj Mahal proceeded in 2002-03 with money released and work begun before the environmental clearances it required were in place. The CBI investigated the then Chief Minister and a minister in her government.

Claim against record

What the government said

Mayawati has consistently denied wrongdoing and points to the refusal of sanction and the absence of any charge as settling the matter.

What the record shows

Sanction refused. Case never tried.

In June 2007 the Governor refused sanction to prosecute, holding there was insufficient evidence. The case has never been tried on its merits. Two decades on it resurfaces periodically as a live file without ever reaching a court, which is its own form of answer.

Contested / alleged

The allegations were never tested in court because sanction to prosecute was refused. Nothing here should be read as a finding of guilt.

What accountability should have looked like

A sanction decision made on published reasons and open to challenge, rather than one that quietly ends a case for twenty years.

Ministers and office-holders responsible

Naming who held the portfolio is a matter of public record. It is not by itself a finding of personal responsibility for any death or any rupee.

Sources

T1 primary record · T2 reporting · T3 partisan

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Cite or export this case

Citizens' Accountability Ledger, "Taj Corridor. A riverbed project, and a governor who refused sanction" (2002 to 2003), case-86. https://whoisresponsible.xyz/case/case-86/

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