SAMBALPUR: A team from the senior civil judge court in Sambalpur on Wednesday attached movable properties of the Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) office at Modipada in connection with a 26-year-old legal dispute between the corporation and a private bus operator Saroj Tripathy over unpaid security deposit.
According to reports, Tripathy had entered into a one-year lease agreement with OSRTC in 1998 to operate a bus on Sambalpur-Jeypore route. As part of the agreement, he deposited Rs 50,000 as security and was operating the bus. But after six months, the corporation withdrew the lease under ‘unexplained circumstances’.
Tripathy said he approached the OSRTC officials multiple times asking them to refund his security deposit but to no avail. “I felt they were deliberately ignoring my requests. Subsequently, I took the matter to the court in 2000. The case kept lingering for years. In the meantime, the court decreed twice but the corporation filed appeal for extension for date,” he said.
Sources said after years of hearings, the court ruled in Tripathy’s favour and ordered OSRTC to pay `3.10 lakh as compensation. When payment of the compensation amount was delayed, the court issued notice for attachment of OSRTC’s property to recover the dues.
Tripathy said though the court has ordered seizure of OSRTC property, he wants the corporation to release his money at the earliest.
District manager of OSRTC Gopal Krushna Bisoyi said he was unaware of the case and had not received any order previously. “I received the notice on Wednesday morning and cooperated with the court officials. They have seized several movable assets including furniture and computers. We have conveyed the matter to the higher authorities of OSRTC,” he added.
Yet to be officially valued, the attached assets have been deposited with the court. The recovery procedure in accordance with the court’s direction will be initiated soon.