Lucknow, Oct. 24 (PTI): The Uttar Pradesh government yesterday recommended the dismissal of suspended environment secretary R.K. Sharma and withholding of the retirement benefits of former chief secretary D.S. Bagga for their alleged role in the Rs 175-crore Taj heritage corridor scam.

The decisions were taken on the basis of the findings of a departmental inquiry ordered by the state government earlier, official sources here said.

Since both the officials belong to the IAS cadre, the recommendations have been sent to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), which would then seek the advice of the Union government, the sources added.

The state government is scheduled to present its action taken report in the Supreme Court on Monday, advocate-general Virendra Bhatia said.

Sharma is said to have been instrumental in clearing the project during the Bahujan Samaj Party leader Mayavati?s tenure as chief minister.

?The Supreme Court had asked the state government to submit its action taken report and the apex court will be apprised of the same on Monday,? Bhatia said.

With regard to two other officials, the then principal secretary to the chief minister, P.. Punia, and tourism secretary V.K. Gupta, the advocate-general said the government would seek more time from the apex court as inquiries against them were still on.

Bhatia said Sharma?s dismissal and the withholding of pension and gratuity of Bagga were the proposed punishment, which would be carried out only after the clearance from the UPSC.

The multi-crore Taj heritage corridor project, a brainchild of the then chief minister Mayavati had come to light after a public interest litigation was filed in the Supreme Court last year alleging large-scale irregularities in the project. The Supreme Court later entrusted the CBI with the inquiry into the scam.

The court, on the basis of an interim report of the agency, had directed the government to set up the departmental inquiry against the four officials and also to suspend them pending the inquiry.

The then Mayavati government had planned to develop parks, shopping complexes and markets along the banks of the Yamuna between Taj Mahal and Agra Fort without seeking necessary clearance from the relevant Union ministries, including the environment ministry.

On the fate of Punia and Gupta, official sources said additional evidence was being collected against one of them. A supplementary chargesheet would be issued soon against the other, they said.

The CBI had earlier questioned Mayavati to verify allegations that the work on the controversial project began only after her office gave the go ahead. The then environment minister Naseemuddin Siddiqui was also questioned by the CBI.