CUTTACK: Expressing serious displeasure over the poor maintenance of parks in Cuttack city, the Orissa High Court has observed that the report submitted by the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) and Cuttack Development Authority (CDA) regarding parks was in stark contrast to reality.
The bench comprising Justice KR Mohapatra and Justice V Narasingh was hearing the ongoing PIL on civic issues plaguing the Cuttack city.
The issue relating to the condition of parks had been taken up by the court following a mention by High Court Bar Association member Satyabrata Mohanty on April 23. The court had then directed both CMC and CDA to furnish reports on the condition of parks and the amenities available to visitors.
According to official records, there are 52 parks within the CMC jurisdiction. Of these, 46 are directly maintained by the CMC, four by the CDA, while two are managed under the public-private partnership model.
During the hearing on May 21, CMC city engineer Atanau Kumar Samanta, additional commissioner Sona Tudu, assistant commissioner (park & plantation) Suma Jena, and CDA officials appeared before the bench. Additional government advocate Debasis Nayak submitted a compliance report prepared by the Park and Plantation division of the CMC.
However, after examining the submissions and interacting with the officials, the bench observed that even basic facilities such as drinking water and clean toilets were absent in several parks maintained by the CMC and CDA. In a sharp remark, the bench stated the lackadaisical attitude of the authorities compelled it to recall Mark Twain’s famous observation, “There are lies, damned lies and statistics.”