Orissa High Court reprimands Cuttack collector over traffic committee

The Orissa High Court has reprimanded Cuttack Collector Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde for attempting to replace a court-mandated committee designed to address severe traffic congestion in Cuttack. A two-judge bench, comprising Justice KR Mohapatra and Justice V Narasingh, described the collector's attempt to modify the court's August 13 order as ‘presumptuous’ and a breach of the ‘Laxman Rekha’ of propriety.

The court rejected an application that sought to substitute an Additional District Magistrate (ADM) on the committee with a tehsildar, or to transfer responsibilities to the district road safety committee. The bench noted that the collector appeared to be acting as an appellate authority over a judicial order.

The committee, which is headed by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) in Cuttack, includes representatives from the district administration, the Cuttack Municipal Corporation, and the Cuttack Development Authority. Its mandate is to alleviate traffic congestion, clear road and drain obstructions, and prevent their recurrence. The court emphasized that it had deliberately formed this specific panel due to the complexity of the city's traffic issues, noting that previous committees had been in ‘suspended animation’ while congestion reached alarming levels.