The new Margao Civil and Criminal Court building is finally taking shape. Vehicular parking is a big issue at the existing South Goa district and Sessions Court building adjacent to the new court building. Pics Santosh Mirajkar.
After long-delays, the multi-storied Margao Civil and Criminal Court building is slowly taking shape adjacent the existing South Goa district Court building at the Old market area.
In fact, officials of the PWD, buildings may heave a sigh of relief that major portion of the building is getting completed after endless delays.
City-based lawyers and litigants, however, expressed their deep concern over the parking provision in the new Court building. Their fears and not entirely misplaced given that there’s no adequate parking arrangements for lawyers and litigants at the existing District and Sessions Court building.
Lawyers, in particular, wonder how the authorities will fix the parking issue as and when the new Margao Civil and Criminal Court building is inaugurated and starts functioning.
In fact, President of the South Goa Advocates Association Adv. Prasad Naik said the new Margao Civil and Criminal Court building will house around nine courts. He, however, lamented that information suggests that the new court building has no provision for parking for even nine vehicles.
The Advocates panel had aired their grievances over parking at the new Margao Civil and Criminal Court building more than a year ago when they realised that the court has no provision for parking for even nine vehicles and that the adjacent district and sessions court complex has reached a point of saturation on the parking front. “More than a year ago, the Advocates Association has written to the South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) to explore the possibility of allocated a dedicated parcel of land on the sprawling PDA grounds for parking for lawyers and litigants. But, we have not heard any positive news from the PDA till date”, he said.
Naik said the Advocates Association has also drawn attention of the High Court to the inadequate parking arrangements in the new Court building.
Sources informed that a team of officials comprising of the Law Secretary, then South Goa district Collector and PWD officials had inspected a couple of areas in and around the existing district Court building to explore the possibility of developing open spaces for vehicular parking.
Officials told The Goan that ex-PWD Executive Engineer Elvis D’Souza had approached a private owner, owing a plot of land behind the exiting district Court building in a bid to acquire the parcel of land and develop the same for vehicular parking.
Law Minister Alexio Sequeira had also evinced interest in the proposal, but the fate of the proposal, sources said, however, remains unknown.
