Cuttack, Sept. 22: Orissa High Court has directed the state government to clarify on the marks awarded to Cuttack in its run-up for the smart city status.

Based on the government's recommendation, Bhubaneswar and Rourkela have been nominated as smart cities in the state. Now, the court expects it to explain particularly the marks awarded to Cuttack in connection with maintenance cost of water supply across the city.

Yesterday, the court was examining the state government's records related to the report while hearing a PIL seeking quashing of the recommendation alleging that it was based on "wrong evaluation". Cuttack Smart City Action Committee chairman Ashok Kumar Mohapatra, who is also the High Court Bar Association president, filed the PIL.

On July 28, the state housing and urban development department made the recommendation to the Union ministry of urban development. In the report, Bhubaneswar was awarded 70 marks, Rourkela 61.11 marks and 60 marks each for Cuttack, Sambalpur and Berhampur.

Mohapatra contested the awarding of five marks out of 10 for maintenance cost of water supply in the city. According to the criterion fixed, the Cuttack Municipal Corporation deserves 7.5 marks instead of five, Mohapatra argued. Taking note of it, the division bench of Chief Justice D.H. Waghela and Justice Biswanath Rath posted the matter to September 28 for hearing, along with the state government's clarification on it.

According to the norm, 7.5 marks should be awarded to those urban local bodies that spend more than 60 to 80 per cent of the operation and maintenance cost of water supply from user charges. Cuttack spent 61.48 per cent of the operation and maintenance cost of water supply from the user charges. But, the city has been awarded five marks instead of 7.5, it alleged.

Moreover, it was evident from the records that initially the operation and maintenance cost of water supply was recorded as 60.48 per cent. But later, it was reduced to 53 per cent. Consequently, Cuttack has lost 2.5 marks, Mohapatra alleged.

The "wrong" and "illegal" evaluation had pushed Cuttack out of the two slots for the smart city status, the PIL contends, while also expecting the court to "set aside" the central government's smart city list order, in which Cuttack was missing.

Proper evaluation, according to the Centre's guideline, will put Cuttack in top of the list of five cities - Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Rourkela, Sambalpur and Berhampur - taken into consideration for smart city, the PIL contends.

On August 24, the committee had submitted memoranda, alleging wrong evaluation to the Prime Minister, Union minister for urban development, joint secretary and the director of the Smart City Mission. While the Orissa High Court Bar Association boycotted court work demanding smart city status for Cuttack on July 29, the Cuttack Banchao Andolan, with the support of 20 non-political outfits, observed a dawn-to-dusk strike in the city on August 3 to protest against the state government's report.