Orissa High Court raps CMC over ‘corruption’ in road construction works

The Orissa High Court has expressed strong displeasure over road construction works undertaken by the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC), raising serious concerns over alleged irregularities and possible corruption.

During the hearing of a case related to urban issues, the court came down heavily on CMC authorities after it emerged from an affidavit filed by the civic body that road works in various wards were deliberately split into smaller projects to bypass the tender process. The works were reportedly divided into projects worth Rs 2 lakh each and allotted without floating tenders.

As per the affidavit, a total of 765 such works, each valued at Rs 2 lakh, were executed between January 1 and September 30, 2025. The High Court observed that this pattern gives rise to suspicion of large-scale corruption and questioned why major works were intentionally broken into smaller parts, who permitted such practices, and whether the works were actually executed on the ground or existed only on paper with financial manipulation.

Taking serious note of the matter, the court expressed dissatisfaction with the functioning of the CMC. During the hearing, the CMC Commissioner appeared personally before the court through video conferencing.

The court has now directed its committee to conduct a physical inspection of the works and submit a detailed report at the next hearing.

"The court asked how the road works were executed and who did the work. CMC answered that contractors have executed the work. The High Court has ordered to submit the names of the contractors. We have been directed to do the verifications with the concerned JEs whether work has been done or not. It seems some kind of corruption has been made," said lawyer Bibhu Choudhury.

"Works could be done in split-ups. Emergency works are done in split-ups as it takes minimum six months to get the work orders in the tender process. In case of emergency work like damage of drains and roads, work is speeded up," said Works Committee Chairman Pradeep Khuntia.

The CMC has a total of 59 wards. Among them, Ward No. 59 recorded the highest number of works with 57 projects, followed by Ward No. 37 with 35 works, Ward No. 29 with 31 works, and Ward No. 26 with 28 works.

Responding to the court’s observations, the CMC Commissioner stated that affidavits have been submitted detailing the location and nature of all works. She maintained that the projects were undertaken at different times based on public complaints and local needs. She denied any corruption, and assured that all such works would be carried out strictly through the tender process in the future.

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"We have submitted all the data. The JEs have also submitted affidavits. We have also submitted all the required information about all the works. We are also regularly reviewing the total number of works," said CMC Commissioner Kirandeep Kaur Sahota.

Meanwhile, the Mayor said the High Court is examining all the works and assured that if any corruption is detected, let there be a thorough inquiry followed by appropriate action.

"Inquiry will be conducted into the matter over which the High Court has expressed resentment. Subsequently, necessary action will be ordered. Transparency is fully there in the government level these days," said CMC Mayor Subhash Singh.