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Odisha HC questions DPR vetting in Cuttack drain project

Odisha HC questions DPR vetting in Cuttack drain project

CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has raised serious questions over procedural lapses and deviation from government directives in the vetting of detailed project reports (DPRs) for the `335.42 crore branch surface water channel (BSWC) drainage project in Cuttack.
A division bench comprising Justice SK Sahoo and Justice V Narasingh has sought clarifications from the principal secretary of Housing and Urban Development (H&UD) department over glaring irregularities in the preparation and review process of DPRs for five major branch storm water drains.
The court questioned why the private project management consultancy (PMC) firm submitted hydraulic designs to VSSUT, Burla, for vetting instead of IIT-Bhubaneswar, despite a clear government directive issued via letter on May 30, 2025. This directive followed a technical review meeting chaired by the chief engineer-cum-additional secretary, H&UD department, on April 30.
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