Work on new Margao court building gets under way

Work on the Rs 11.2 crore Margao Civil and Criminal Court building gets underway at the district Court building complex.

MARGAO 

Work on a state-of-the-art ground-plus-storied building to house Margao’s Civil and Criminal Court gets underway adjoining the South Goa district Court building near the Old market  circle.

The Rs 11.2 crore imposing new Court building is expected to ease the space constraints and do away with the congestion and overcrowding that has hit the eight Courts functioning in the existing heritage Court building. 

In fact, the long-delayed new Court building is expected to finally become a reality within 360 days, i.e. within a year’s time from now. Certainly, the project should ring in good news for the Judicial Officers, lawyers, litigants and the Court staff functioning from the existing heritage building.

The burning parking issue, however, seemed to have come to haunt the stakeholders. For, the existing district and Sessions Court complex is already facing acute parking woes for want of parking space, with vehicles of advocates and litigants spilling over to the adjoining road or the adjacent SGDPA exhibition ground. Take note, the ground-plus-four storied Court building, once completed, is expected to accommodate not more than 50 vehicles in its premises, throwing up serious questions for the district administration and the Law department to handle the burning parking issue.

Consider this. The existing South Goa district and Sessions Court building is facing acute parking space constraints, leaving no option for the lawyers and litigants to parking their vehicles on the adjoining road.

The proposed ground-plus four-storied Margao Civil and Criminal Court building is now coming up adjoining district Court building complex. If PWD officials are to be believed, the parking provision for four-wheelers in the proposed building is less than 50 vehicles, throwing  up a moot question – how would the district court complex accommodate the vehicles of the advocates and litigants visiting the district court building and the proposed Civil and Criminal Court buidling.

The South Goa Advocates Association has already panic button even before the proposed new Civil and Criminal Court building takes shape. For, the lawyers’ panel is aware of the ground reality at the existing district and sessions court complex on the parking front and how the situation would further aggravate once the new building sees light of the day in a year from now.

In fact, Association President Prasad Naik has made a strong case for dedicated parking space at the adjoining SGPDA ground for the lawyers and litigants. For, the Association has pointed out that around eight courts are presently functioning at the Margao civil and criminal court heritage building and another six courts at the district and sessions court  building, besides the Consumer Court located in a building opposite the district Court.

As of today, Prasad has pointed out that around 16 fully functional courtrooms are presently operating in the district Court and Civil and Criminal court buildings, throwing up parking blues around the Old market area of the city.

For the moment, the South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) has not taken a decision on the petition received from the South Goa Advocates Association. SGPDA Chairman, MLA Krishna Daji Salkar says the matter will be placed before the Authority meeting for a threadbare discussion before a final decision is taken on the request. 

The Goan understand that the issue of parking was discussed with senior PWD officials by district Court officials earlier this week in a bid to review the situation.