Correa and DUAC members Dr Narayani Gupta, Jasbir Sawhney, and Mohammad Shaheer sent their resignation to the Ministry of Urban Development.

Their resignation was not accepted till late evening but the UD ministry had already issued a circular to begin the process of appointing a new chairperson and members on February 7, as reported by Newsline on February 15. The office-bearers are appointed by the ministry for a three-year term.

Sources said the new appointments are likely to be made by the end of next month.

When contacted by Newsline, Correa refused to comment on today’s development.

Ministry officials said the members have cited adverse media reports — that DUAC was blocking Commonwealth Games projects — as one of the reasons that forced them to step down. “They have cited six projects that they were to pass,” a ministry official said. “These include the East-West Corridor, the tunnel road, the new ISBT, and the six-lane highway at Badarpur.

“The ministry is not involved in any of these projects: the Badarpur project belongs to the National Highway Authority of India, and Delhi government is responsible for the other five.”

The Delhi government had earlier sent missives to the ministry and the PMO, saying the committee was creating hurdles for most Games-related projects.

A source in the Delhi government said, “If they want to be reappointed, the government is likely to oppose it on the basis of age criteria.”