TV
In a significant development, immovable assets at the office of the Chief Construction Engineer of the Roads and Buildings Department, Northern Division, Sambalpur, have been attached on court orders, on Wednesday.
According to sources, this action comes after a contractor was not paid Rs 89,05,249 in dues, despite completing construction work in 2011–12.
The civil court ordered the attachment following a petition by the contractor, who approached the judiciary after repeated attempts to recover his pending dues but failed.
As per the order of the Senior Civil Judge, the principal amount along with interest must be paid for two works executed over a decade ago, sources added.
The attachment process was carried out in the presence of court staff and the contractor. However, during the operation, it was discovered that many high-value items had already been removed from the premises, indicating a possible attempt to evade enforcement.
Previous Attachments in Sambalpur
This is not the first instance of such enforcement in government offices in Sambalpur. In earlier cases too, assets were attached in various departments due to unpaid dues to contractors or suppliers.
Earlier on April 9, the property of the Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) office at Modipada in Sambalpur was attached following an order by the local Court. This action was taken in response to allegations involving unpaid dues to a bus owner, stemming from a dispute dating back to 1998.
Similarly on April 4, a local court had directed to attach the properties belonging to three government offices- the offices of the Chief Engineer, the Superintendent Engineer of Hirakud Dam, as well as the Executive Engineer’s office in Sambalpur after they allegedly failed to clear the outstanding bills of a contractor.
