Orissa HC summons officers over persistent waterlogging in Cuttack
CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court on Thursday came down heavily on civic authorities for their repeated failure to prevent waterlogging in Cuttack city despite several past assurances. The court expressed deep concern over the recurring hardship faced by residents and directed immediate action to tackle the crisis.
A division bench comprising Justices Sangam Kumar Sahoo and V Narasingh was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) on civic issues when it observed that the persistent flooding of the city, year after year, has become a grim reminder of administrative apathy.
“Despite repeated assurances that there will be no recurrence of the city being flooded, the only constant is the suffering of the citizens,” the bench noted in its strongly-worded order.
“This court is of the considered view that the issue has to be addressed in a concerted manner,” the bench stated while scheduling the next hearing for July 24, 2025, and summoning key government and civic officials to appear either physically or virtually. They include the principal secretaries of the Housing and Urban Development and Works departments, collector, engineer-in-chiefs of the Irrigation and R&B departments, commissioner of Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC), managing director of WATCO and officials from TPCODL, WATCO, and GAIL.
They are expected to present a joint strategy to augment the city’s drainage infrastructure and provide lasting relief to the residents. The court also issued a separate directive to the city engineer of CMC to immediately mobilise his staff, including junior engineers, to inspect all surface and box drains in the city. He has been asked to submit a comprehensive report on the functionality of the drainage system along with a time-bound action plan for cleaning and de-silting operations.
In a key administrative observation, the court took note of the superannuation of CMC commissioner Anam Charan Patra. It expressed hope that a competent officer with a proven track record would be appointed as commissioner to effectively implement the court’s directives.