MARGAO
As work on the new multi-storied Margao Civil and Criminal Court building at the South district and Sessions Court complex is progressing as per schedule, the million dollar question remains unanswered “ how would the Sessions Court complex accommodate the vehicles of lawyers and litigants after the commissioning of the new Court building project?
Once commissioned, as many as 16 courts will function, both in the Margao Civil and Criminal Court building and the Sessions Court building, besides the lone Consumer Court opposite the Court complex.
As it is, the Sessions Court complex cannot accommodate all the vehicles of the lawyers and litigants, forcing them to park vehicles outside the complex, either in the adjoining SGPDA parking land or along the roadsides. Add to this the vehicles of lawyers and litigants that will visit the complex once the Civil and Criminal Court building is completed and commissioned.
In fact, this question will soon come to haunt the district authorities as well as Law department as an exercise initiated in the past during the tenure of then Law Minister Nilesh Cabral could not see light of the day.
Then Law secretary Sandeep Jacques along with then district Collector, South Jyoti Kumari had inspected the district and Sessions Court complex to find out a solution to the parking issue, but in vain.
Sources pointed out that the PWD, buildings had mooted a proposal to procure a small parcel of land just behind the district Court building and develop the same for parking. The proposal, however, has failed to take off till date for reasons best known to the district authorities and the Law department.
With the Sessions Court complex expected to play host to 16 functional courts once the Margao Civil and Criminal Court building is completed and commissioned, the South Goa Advocates Association had knocked the doors of the South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) to explore the possibility of earmarking dedicated PDA parking land for parking of vehicles of the advocates and litigants.
In fact, SGAA president Prasad Naik had submitted a memorandum to the SGPDA Chairman, MLA Krishna Salkar with a plea to allot dedicated space in the PDA parking land. The proposal, however, has not evoked the desired response from the SGPDA till date.
The Advocates Association had contended that the both the Civil and Criminal Courts, besides the district and sessions Court and the Consumer Forum, are all situated near the old market circle, Margao, adding that a dedicated parking space at the PDA ground could have solved the parking blues witnessed at the Old market area.
With the change in guard and Salcete's lone Minister Alexio Sequeira now taking over the reigns of the Law and Judiciary portfolio, sources in the know informed that senior PWD officials recently drew his attention to the progress of work of the new Civil and Criminal Court building and the issue of parking that has remained unanswered till date.
