The rented premises from where the State Transport Appellate Tribunal and the Motor Accident Claim Tribunal function in Cuttack. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, March 1: The commerce and transport department is yet to start the construction of a building for the State Transport Appellate Tribunal and the Motor Accident Claim Tribunal at Sector-I in the Bidanasi Housing project area in the city.

The Cuttack Development Authority had allotted the 15,006sqft plot to the department in pursuance of an Orissa High Court order in August last year.

The development authority, however, has refused to give possession of the allotted land without payment. Consequently, the department has been left in a quandary as the high court has slapped contempt notices on the department.

Last year, the court had suo motu registered a case for infrastructure development for both the tribunals. It had then directed the development authority to allot land for the tribunals. In pursuance of the order, the CDA allotted the land at Rs 1,208 per sqft.

On August 2 last year, the court directed the department to take possession of the land and proceed with the building construction.

As the order was not implemented, the high court issued notices for contempt proceedings against the department’s principal secretary in January.

To avoid contempt proceedings, the department returned to the court last week with a petition seeking direction to the chairman of the development authority to give advance possession of the land allotted in its favour, “so that construction of the State Transport Appellate Tribunal building can be completed within next financial year”.

The development authority has insisted on giving possession over the land only after payment of Rs 1.81 crore, the petition pleaded. But, the court refused to interfere as it is an internal matter between two departments.

“The court has fixed March 15 as deadline for the department to resolve the dispute with the development authority and start process of the building construction,” amicus curiae P.R. Dash told The Telegraph.

“Both the tribunals are functioning on rented premises at Section-VII at Markatnagar, the satellite township being developed by the development authority in the Bidanasi Housing Project area,” Dash said today.

“Our stand has been very simple and just. Make the payment and take the land,” an official said on condition of anonymity.