Beguniapada: Sashmita Satpathy, the executive officer(also officiating as tehsildar) of Kodala NAC in Ganjam faced flak from the High Court for allegedly obstructing the council meeting of the civic body by throwing norms of the civic body to the winds. The High Court has also reprimanded the district administration on the issue. In its order, the HC has made it clear that no official can interfere with the management of NAC meetings. According to reports, chairperson of Kodala NAC Surya Narayan Nayak issued a notice on September 30 to hold the meeting of the councillors.
However, it was alleged that the executive officer (EO) of the NAC had deliberately obstructed the meeting. The chairman had invited the local MLA and the MP to the meeting. But the EO told the district administration that the MLA has not been invited to the meeting and hence the meeting cannot be held. Such interference by the EO left the councillors upset. The NAC chairperson and eight councillors produced evidence before the district administration about their invitation of the MP and MLA to the meeting and strongly objected to unnecessary interference of the EO. They accused the EO of violating the rules of the Orissa Municipal Act.
As the district administration took no step in this regard, the NAC chairperson and councillors moved the High Court against the district Collector, the EO, and the district urban project director. Hearing the case, the HC felt that the EO has thrown the rules of the civic body to the winds and reprimanded the district administration for such interference in the functioning of the civic body. The HC made it clear that the NAC chairperson will only conduct the meetings of the civic body, but no official will meddle in it.
Moreover, the HC had directed the district Collector, the EO, and the district urban project director to depose before the HC on January 30, 2023. Various quarters have condemned the interference of the EO in civic body matters. Our correspondent tried to contact the EO over the phone to know her reaction, but she could not available.