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Court directs Cuttack Corporation to redo desiltation works

CUTTACK: Dogged with inherent problems and facing the wrath of people and the court, the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) appeared not in celebration mode as the Local Self-government Day went off without any major programmes on Friday.

Observation of the day was limited only to flag hoisting in the CMC office while all other programmes were cancelled.

“The unprecedented water-logging in the city earlier this month dampened the spirit of the employees. Therefore, we have decided to cancel all celebrations.We have decided to celebrate the Corporation Day on September 30 in a grand style,” said Mayor Nibedita Pradhan.

She said the CMC employees had given in writing not to observe the Day with gaiety as a mark of expressing their solidarity with the sufferings of the people.

But Opposition members of the Congress, the CPI(M) and the OGP observed the day as ‘Black Day’ demanding the resignation of the Mayor, while the ruling alliance members of the BJD boycotted the meeting of the council convened by the Mayor in the morning. Congress members wearing black badges were seen moving in the municipal office but they did not attend to any work.

Seeking the Mayor’s resignation, members created a flutter at Wednesday’s council meeting. They staged a walkout when Ms. Pradhan refused to discuss about the details of the action taken report (ATR) prepared by the Deputy Mayor Madhusudan Sahu on flooding. The Mayor said since the matter was pending in the High Court, a discussion on the ATR was not necessary.

Meanwhile, the High Court Bench that was monitoring the work of the CMC for the past several years ordered the civic body to redo the desiltation of drains and complete the work by December.

The order came when an advocate submitted an affidavit stating that contractors misappropriated huge amounts in the name of desiltation, which was not properly done before the onset of monsoon.

The court also asked the CMC to henceforth display a public notice near all its project sites stating the name of the project, the name of the contractor, the project cost and the tentative date of completion of the project.

The Bench of Justice B.P. Das and Justice M.M. Das urged people to inform the authorities and the court any default in the execution of CMC works.

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