Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Wednesday suspended senior Indian Administrative Service officer and former principal secretary (environment) R K Sharma for sanctioning Rs 37 crore for the Taj Corridor Scheme in Agra.

He had been shifted from the environment department last week for sanctioning the said amount for the project, which violated Archaeological Survey of India norms, an official spokesperson said in Lucknow.

Taking strong exception to reports of discrepancies in the project, the chief minister also set up a special technical team for verification of the construction work carried out behind the Taj Mahal, the spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, in response to the recent comments by Union Tourism Minister Jagmohan against the state government regarding the work carried out behind the Taj, the chief minister shot off a letter to him stating that the project was the brainchild of the Union environment department.

"The concerned officials of the union government continuously took part in the meetings held for finalising the project, but never raised any objections," she said.

More reports from Uttar Pradesh