Bhubaneswar/Cuttack Sept. 12: The Pradesh Congress Committee today floated a new idea to replace the Odisha Administrative Tribunal (OAT) with a special service bench of Orissa High Court.
On September 9, the state government announced its intention to abolish the tribunal.
Leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra said: "The plight of the state government employees, who used to approach the OAT with their grievances, should not be ignored. The special service bench will serve the purpose, and the employees will benefit."
Mishra said the service bench's headquarters should be located in Bhubaneswar and its circuit benches should be set up in other parts of the state. "With this, the employees' problems can be immediately addressed. The justice delivery system should be expedited," he said.
Lawyers practising at the Cuttack bench of the tribunal continued their boycott for the third day today. They have also approached all the bar associations in the city, including the High Court Bar Association, seeking their support against the government's decision.
Cuttack OAT Bar Association president Ulash Chandra Mohanty said the body had called upon all the bar associations in the city, and it was decided that a joint meeting of the associations would be held on September 14. He said the office-bearers of the High Court Bar Association would also take part in the meeting to decide on the future course of action.
Cuttack OAT Bar Association secretary Biraja Prasanna Satpathy said: "We demand the state government's decision to abolish the OAT be rolled back immediately as it has been taken without making any alternative arrangement. Besides, the reason cited by the state government is not justifiable."
The state government on September 9 had said the decision to abolish the OAT was taken after it felt that the tribunal had failed in the objective of delivering justice to the employees on service matters.
High Court Bar Association secretary Bijay Kumar Ragada said: "It would have been better had the government consulted the high court Chief Justice before taking the decision."
