Cuttack: The Orissa High Court has summoned top officials of the state govt and Cuttack Municipal Corporation for a special sitting on Saturday after expressing serious concern over the “precarious condition” of roads and widespread waterlogging in the city following recent rains.A special bench of Justices K R Mohapatra and V Narasingh, hearing an ongoing PIL on multiple civic issues in Cuttack, fixed the special sitting.The bench has been assisted by an Advocates’ Committee headed by the president and secretary of the High Court Bar Association.“Looking at the precarious condition of the roads of the entire Cuttack city and water logging at different places, a special sitting of this Bench shall be held on 29th August, 2026 at 10.30 am,” the bench said.Accordingly, HC directed the Additional Chief Secretary, Housing and Urban Development Department; Secretary, Works Department; Engineer-in-Chief, Works Department; Commissioner, CMC; and Director, Municipal Administration, to appear either in person or through virtual mode and assist the court in the “effective adjudication” of the issue.HC’s direction came after Md Shahbaz, Superintending Engineer, R&B Division-I, Cuttack, and CMC City Engineer Atanu Kumar Samanta appeared through virtual mode during Thursday’s hearing.The bench took strong exception to their submissions and observed that it appeared the officials had little knowledge of the ground situation.“From their submission, it appears that they have no idea about the road condition and water logging at different places in Cuttack Municipal Corporation area,” the bench remarked.Expressing concern over the overall state of the city’s roads and waterlogging, the court ordered the special sitting to facilitate a detailed examination of the issue.The latest judicial intervention comes amid the city’s recurring waterlogging woes. In July 2025, HC had criticised the authorities over the problem, describing it as a reflection of administrative failure despite repeated assurances.“The only thing that is constant is the suffering of the citizens of the city on account of waterlogging,” the court had observed.CMC had earlier told HC in July 2024 that waterlogging for two to five hours was inevitable in some areas because Cuttack is situated “in between and below the river-bed level of the Mahanadi and Kathajodi”.The civic body had said drainage could take up to five hours in vulnerable locations even when pumps were operating at full capacity.