A 1985 batch Gujarat cadre IAS officer, Sanjay Gupta, who took voluntary retirement, was arrested on Thursday evening by the Gandhinagar CID crime officials for irregularities in Ahmedabad Metro rail project.
According to sources, Gupta was arrested for alleged irregularities worth Rs113-crore in Ahmedabad metro rail project. He was the chairman of Ahmedabad Metro rail Company from 2011 till 2013. Additional DGP of CID Crime Meera Ram Niwas is learnt to have investigated the case and Gupta was arrested based on her findings. The ex-IAS officer is expected to be produced before the court on Friday morning.
The bureaucrat turned business tycoon had in the past attributed to have played a critical role in Gujarat's successful foray in laying over 2000-km natural gas grid in the state and growth of one of the most successful State-owned unit Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation limited. He was also instrumental in setting up Science City project.
Gupta was blamed for fighting demand of Niko Resources of Canada over ownership of an 18-km interconnect pipeline in South Gujarat.
While Niko Resources wanted ownership, Gupta fought tooth-and-nail saying that Niko was merely an operator. This had seen Governments of US, Canada and several European nations, as well as Central government owned PSUs opposing Sanjay Gupta's move.
A workaholic, 'go-getter' and 'quick decision maker', Gupta, later resigned from the IAS services and joined Adani Group as CEO for infrastructure projects.
He parted ways with Adani in short time thereafter to start his own hospitality venture, Neesa Group, with hotels and resorts in Gandhinagar, Jaipur, Gurgaon, Goa and Kerala under brand name Cambay. He also started TV news channel, which didn't click and he had to close down.