Lawyers of the Orissa High Court Bar Association abstained from attending court yesterday to protest the state government’s decision to exclude Cuttack from the NDA’s ‘Smart City’ project..Advocates from all ten Bar associations of the state also joined in the protest. Bijaya Kumar Ragada, Secretary of the Orissa High Court Bar Association told Bar & Bench,.“The strike was because Cuttack was not included in the Smart City list. The High Court Bar Association then convened a meeting and made a memorandum which will be sent to the President and Prime Minister of India.”.The Centre’s Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) is targeted at selecting 100 ‘Smart Cities’ for upgrading urban infrastructure. As per the initiative, each Smart City proposed by the state government will receive 500 crore for infrastructure development..Ragada alleged that the process of selecting the Smart Cities was not done in a proper manner. The Bar Association has given the state government till August 3 to reply to the memorandum, failing which the lawyers will take to the streets in protest..When asked whether the lawyers’ abstention from court was unfair to litigants, Ragada replied,.“We initially decided to continue the agitation indefinitely. Taking into consideration the problems of the litigants, all lawyers are attending court today.”
Lawyers of the Orissa High Court Bar Association abstained from attending court yesterday to protest the state government’s decision to exclude Cuttack from the NDA’s ‘Smart City’ project..Advocates from all ten Bar associations of the state also joined in the protest. Bijaya Kumar Ragada, Secretary of the Orissa High Court Bar Association told Bar & Bench,.“The strike was because Cuttack was not included in the Smart City list. The High Court Bar Association then convened a meeting and made a memorandum which will be sent to the President and Prime Minister of India.”.The Centre’s Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) is targeted at selecting 100 ‘Smart Cities’ for upgrading urban infrastructure. As per the initiative, each Smart City proposed by the state government will receive 500 crore for infrastructure development..Ragada alleged that the process of selecting the Smart Cities was not done in a proper manner. The Bar Association has given the state government till August 3 to reply to the memorandum, failing which the lawyers will take to the streets in protest..When asked whether the lawyers’ abstention from court was unfair to litigants, Ragada replied,.“We initially decided to continue the agitation indefinitely. Taking into consideration the problems of the litigants, all lawyers are attending court today.”