The high court on Friday directed Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) to clear Rs 7.62 crore dues to A2Z Infrastructure Private Limited within four months along with eight per cent interest.

A bench of Justice S.N. Hussain delivered the judgment on a petition filed by A2Z Infrastructure Private Limited seeking direction to the PMC and the authorities concerned to pay dues of Rs 7.62 crore to the company. The court had reserved its order on April 6 after hearing the PMC, the state government and A2Z Infrastructure Private Limited, which provided sanitation services in the select parts of the state capital.

“The PMC is directed to make payment of Rs 7.62 crore, the total billed amount, within four months along with 8 per cent interest,” the court said in its order. “The court, before pronouncing the detailed order, went through all records such as decisions of PMC board resolutions and those of urban development department principal secretary Shashi Shekhar Sharma. Both appreciated the work of A2Z Infrastructure Private Limited and ordered payment of dues,” Anurag Saurav, the counsel for A2Z Infrastructure Private Limited, said.

The private firm had prayed to the court that it be paid its Rs 7.62 crore in dues with 18 per cent interest.

The petition filed through advocate Anurag Saurav submitted that the PMC did not pay anything to A2Z Infrastructure Private Limited for 19 months from January 2010. The company halted sanitation work in 28 wards in July, 2011 owing to non-payment by the PMC. During the hearing, the PMC counsel submitted that certain enquiries were pending against A2Z Infrastructure Private Limited regarding billing.

Repeated attempts to contact PMC commissioner Pankaj Kumar Pal proved futile. Chandrama Singh, additional commissioner, PMC, refrained from commenting, saying he was not authorised to do so.