In a strange judgment, Papum Pare (Yupia) District Judge Nani Grayu passed an order to attach/seal the office of the PWD’s western zone (WZ) chief engineer (CE), located at Mowb-II in Itanagar, in a money execution petition (No 04/2019) filed by M/s Tama Fabrication Works against the state of Arunachal Pradesh and others. The execution petition was filed by the petitioner for payment of an arbitral award of Rs 3,60,28,997 and interest thereof on 21 October, 2019. It is reported that, after two years of lengthy legal battle, the court passed the judgment in favour of the petitioner. The judgment raises serious concern over the financial situation in the state.
The PWD chief engineer office being attached for failing to pay to the contractor is a serious issue. The government is not able to clear the payment of contractors, which indicates that the state is facing a financial crisis. The order for sealing/attachment of the office of PWD CE is a slap on the face of the state government. This is highly embarrassing and exposes the problem confronting the state of Arunachal Pradesh. The district judge has directed the Itanagar Capital Region DC to carry out the formalities of attachment/sealing of the entire building of the CE within two weeks and to submit the compliance report to the court immediately. The state government has two weeks’ time to either knock the door of a higher court or work out a solution. Whatever may be the case, this judgment is a big embarrassment.