CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has slightly relaxed its earlier restriction on the movement of waste transportation vehicles in Cuttack, permitting them to operate till 9.30 am instead of 9 am while retaining the afternoon window of 11.30 am to 4 pm, to ease traffic congestion in the city.
The modification was made in a recent order by a special bench of Justice KR Mohapatra and Justice V Narasingh designated for monitoring civic issues in Cuttack through a series of public interest litigations.
The court had, on July 2, directed the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) to ensure that waste clearance operations on city roads were completed by 9 am. The direction was issued following concerns raised by High Court Bar Association president and senior advocate Lalatendu Samantaray over severe traffic disruptions caused by garbage-laden vehicles during peak office hours. The enforcement officer of the CMC was also asked to file a compliance affidavit.
When the matter came up on July 9, the CMC submitted a compliance report through its deputy commissioner, stating that conservancy workers complete citywide sweeping every morning and the collected waste is generally cleared by 9.30 am. The corporation argued that, considering Cuttack’s congested topography and the volume of daily waste generated, extending the deadline by 30 minutes was operationally necessary.
Appearing before the bench, CMC commissioner Kirandeep Kaur Sahota reiterated the request for a half-hour extension for waste transportation vehicles and sought permission for uninterrupted door-to-door collection.
Accepting the corporation’s plea in part, the bench modified its July 2 order and directed that waste clearance operations using transport vehicles may continue till 9.30 am, after which such activities can resume between 11.30 am and 4 pm. The civic body also informed the court that door-to-door waste collection is carried out mostly through small covered vehicles operating in lanes and by-lanes, which do not obstruct traffic on major roads.
The court clarified that all other directions contained in its earlier order would remain unchanged, as it continues to monitor measures aimed at reducing traffic bottlenecks and improving civic management in Cuttack.