Cuttack: Civic officials will watch with interest proceedings at Orissa High Court which will decide the validity of the tender process the civic body had finalised to implement its Rs 147.26-crore Solid Waste Management Project - 2016.

The tender had come under judicial scrutiny for the second time after the Jagruti Welfare Organisation challenged the civic body's decision to disqualify it in the technical bid stage. On February 12, the court issued an interim stay on the tender process.

"We submitted our reply and hope to be allowed to complete the tender process," municipal commissioner Bikash Ranjan Mohapatra said.

After taking note of the civic body's reply, the division bench of Chief Justice Vineet Saran and Justice B.R. Sarangi on Thursday posted the matter to April 25 for final hearing along with counter affidavit by the petitioner.

The civic body is looking at an early disposal of the matter as awarding the contract now hinges on the verdict.

It assumes significance as the civic body had continued to employ Ramky Enviro Engineers Limited on a monthly deal since its five-year contract with the company for garbage collection and disposal expired in April 2016.

There had since been disarray in municipal waste management and discontent among councillors as door-to-door and roadside garbage collection had become irregular, resulting in public anger.

Ramky stopped collection and disposal from April 2 completely, forcing the civic body to make interim arrangements with the local organisation through which Ramky carried out its contract.

Mired in legal tangle, the civic body had not been able to complete the tender process in its first attempt. Technical bids of two companies were cleared, but it could not proceed as the high court issued a stay on the process.

Later, the high court quashed certain provisions in the tender and directed the civic body to invite fresh tenders in July 2017.

The civic body invited fresh bids in September 2017 with Metro Waste Handling Private Limited emerging as the lowest bidder. It is awaiting government nod.