Chandigarh, Oct. 30 -- Widening its probe into alleged irregularities in the dealings of the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA), the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has turned its attention to the authority's flagship Purab Premium Apartments project in Sector 88, Mohali, officials familiar with the probe said. The agency's scrutiny follows a 2023 internal inquiry by GMADA that flagged a suspected excess payment of Rs.51.33 crore to the original contractor, Simplex Infrastructure Ltd, meant to deducted against defective work. The GMADA probe had prompted the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) to recommend registration of an FIR against certain senior officials in 2023. "The ED will seek records from VB as it separately investigated the alleged financial losses arising from the project, and recommended action against officials involved in its execution and supervision," an official said, requesting anonymity. The agency is examining project records, including payment details, quality assessments and completion certificates, and the subsequent award of contracts for unfinished and defective work by Simplex, according to the official. GMADA chief administrator Sandeep Rishi said he had joined office around two months back, but would obtain and examine the complete record. Probing alleged irregularities in GMADA's land dealings and the waiver of dues to private developers, ED had conducted a three-day search at the authority's office last month and seized records. Earlier in August, the agency summoned three GMADA officials-chief engineer Ajay Garg, former chief engineer Sunil Kansal and then land acquisition officer Hardeep Singh-to furnish records and documentary evidence under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The agency has alleged that manipulation of reserve prices for unsold land parcels could have caused a potential loss of nearly Rs.10,000 crore to GMADA and the Punjab government. The ED investigation has brought renewed focus on a project originally conceived as a landmark in high-rise housing. Conceived in 2011 and launched in 2013, the ambitious project envisaged 1,620 premium apartments across three categories in a total of 27 four-storey towers (60 flats each). A construction contract worth Rs.715.50 crore was scheduled for completion by August 2015. But it was marked by years of delays, successive cost revisions and questions over construction quality. Awarded to Simplex on May 3, 2013, the project was granted five extensions, with the final deadline pushed to June 30, 2024. The project cost was revised repeatedly - climbing to Rs.725.60 crore in May 2015, Rs.732.89 crore in April 2018 and Rs.733.68 crore in March 2020. According to GMADA's subsequent internal assessment of project records, a committee valued the work executed by Simplex at Rs.718.79 crore, of which work worth Rs.65.44 crore was assessed as defective. After deducting the value of the defective work, the assessment placed the payable amount at Rs.653.35 crore. But Simplex had already been paid Rs.704.68 crore before leaving the project site on March 23, 2020, resulting in a suspected excess payment of Rs.51.33 crore. The contract was formally terminated only on December 27, 2021, nearly 21 months after the company left the site. The award of the balance and defective works contract to Deepak Builders has also drawn ED's notice. GMADA issued an allotment letter to the firm on July 5, 2021, for Rs.72.53 crore, with a six-month completion deadline. The award preceded the formal termination of Simplex's contract by nearly six months, raising questions about the approvals and contractual basis for engaging a second contractor while the original agreement remained in force. Five extensions followed, pushing the completion to June 30, 2024 - over nine years after the first deadline. Records state that completion certificates were finally issued on October 18, 2024....