Dhenkanal: The office of the Superintending Engineer, Rengali Left Bank Canal Division at Kamakhyanagar in Odisha’s Dhenkanal district was sealed on Tuesday on orders of the Cuttack Commercial Court after the Water Resources Department allegedly failed to clear long-pending dues to a private construction firm.
The sealing was carried out in the presence of legal representatives from both the department and the contractor, Rajlaxmi Construction Pvt Ltd.
According to the company’s lawyer, Rajlaxmi Construction was awarded the contract for canal-related works under the Rengali project in 2004. While the project was halted midway due to land issues, payments due to the contractor, amounting to around Rs 1 crore, were also withheld. Despite repeated follow-ups, the dues were never cleared, and the matter remained unresolved for nearly 22 years.
The lawyer alleged that the Rengali Left Bank Canal Division “wilfully refused” to settle the claim despite receiving multiple notices over two decades. “After failing to receive the money through various channels, we had no option but to seek court intervention,” he said.
The company first pursued arbitration, where the Judge ruled in its favour, directing the department to make the payment. When the award was not honoured, Rajlaxmi Construction approached the Commercial Court in Cuttack. The court eventually ordered the attachment of the government office property to recover the dues, which, with accumulated interest and other components, have swelled to around Rs 3 crore.
