Kendrapada: In a major development after a prolonged legal battle, a court-ordered attachment of movable properties of the Rural Development Department’s Division-II office in Kendrapada district was carried out on Friday over non-payment of a contractor’s outstanding dues of Rs 1.37 crore.
A special team, acting on the district court’s directions, reached the department’s office at Shyamagudia within Kendrapada municipality and initiated the attachment proceedings. A court notice was pasted on the office wall, following which an inventory of movable assets was prepared in the presence of the petitioner’s lawyer.
The seized articles will be assessed and valued before being sold, wherever required, to recover the outstanding amount, sources said. The contractor’s lawyer and family members were present during the proceedings.
The attachment follows a 23-year-long legal battle over the non-payment of dues to contractor Ramesh Chandra Samantaray, a resident of Kujang Sandhapur village.
Samantaray had constructed two cyclone shelters at Talchua and Daleisahi under Rajnagar block in 2003, for which he was entitled to receive Rs 1.07 crore from the department. However, after surrendering his contractor’s licence in 2004 following his decision to contest an Assembly election, the department allegedly withheld his payment.
He subsequently approached the court, challenging the department’s actions and seeking clearance of his pending bills.
While the legal proceedings were underway, Samantaray died in 2023. His family is now entitled to receive Rs 1.37 crore, including the principal amount and accrued interest.
After the attachment proceedings, the deceased contractor’s family expressed satisfaction, describing the development as a long-awaited victory after more than two decades of struggle for justice.
