Bhadrak, March 7 (Odisha.in) Authorities in Orissa on Thursday intensified process for clearing the dues of a contractor only after a court ordered auction of the official vehicles of a district magistrate and a block development officer and the auction process took a final shape early this month, a lawyer said.
The high voltage drama which imitate closely with the recent Akshay Kumar movie “Khatta Mitha” took place in the district headquarter town of Bhadrak, about 142 kms from state capital Bhubaneswar.
The contractor Sushant Mohapatra said he built a road in the district after winning a government tender in 2006. He completed the work in 2007 but his due of about Rs.54, 000 was not cleared by the authorities despite his repeated appeals.
After running from pillar to post for justice, Mohapatra finally moved the local court in early 2008. The court had then ordered the local authorities to clear his dues by February 2008, Mohapatra’s lawyer Rajkishor Das told ‘Odisha.in’.Mohapatra also asked the court to attach the movable properties of the district collector and BDO if they fail to clear his dues.
Based on his petition the court had also issued show cause notices to the district collector and the BDO asking them to explain why their vehicles will not be auctioned for defaulting payment, he said.
As the collector and BDO did not respond to the court notice for months, the civil judge in Bhadrak, Geeta Mohanty ordered auction of their official vehicles about two months ago, he said.
The official vehicles would have been auctioned on March 1. However the major embarrassment for the authorities was averted after the BDO gave in writing to the court that the contractor’s payment will be cleared within a week. After getting assurance from the BDO the court halted the auction, Das said.
“We are consulting the government lawyer for further course of action” the block development officer H.K.Khamari told ‘Odisha.in’ confirming the development.District collector K.C.Patra said efforts are on to clear the due of the contractor as soon as possible.
Odisha.in
