Mohali courts to have new address from Dec 23

Akash Ghai

Tribune News Service

Mohali, December 16

Finally, the Mohali courts complex will be shifted to the newly built judicial complex in Sector 76 next week.

The authorities have decided to inaugurate the partially ready complex on December 23. All 11 courts would be shifted much to the relief of residents of Phase 3B1 where the district courts are currently being held.

The complex, being constructed at the cost of around Rs 59 crore, would house as many as 23 court rooms when it becomes completely ready.

So far, as many as 14 court rooms in the Block 1 of the premises are ready while the remaining nine court rooms are under construction.

All 11 courts — four district sessions courts, five lower courts, a Lok Adalat and a mediation centre — will be shifted to the new complex, said the authorities.

The complex, spread over four lakh sq ft, has several advanced facilities, including videoconferencing in each court, amplifier system instead of court usher, air-conditioned court rooms and office rooms, total CCTV surveillance, separate libraries for judges and advocates, separate parking areas for judges, advocates, office staff and public, and separate waiting area for visitors.

The authorities said as many as 543 advocate chambers would be set up in the complex very soon. “Of the seven blocks, three blocks are ready. So far, 65 per cent work of the project has been completed,” said the executive engineer concerned.

Meanwhile, the decision of shifting the court complex to the new site provided much relief to Phase 3B1 residents living near the current location of the courts.

As the district courts at present are situated in residential area with a school and a gurdwara on the same road, it caused a lot of inconvenience to area residents and school children.

“The visitors to the courts complex used to park their vehicles in front of our homes and the road in front of our houses saw traffic congestion every day during court timings,” lamented a resident living near the courts complex in Phase 3B1 here.

Another resident claimed that due to rush on the road, school children, especially those in junior classes, used to face a lot of difficulty while crossing it, adding: “Fights, group clashes and tiffs outside the courts were a routine affair. A murder of an accused had also taken place in front of the court two years ago.”

It is to be noted that the courts were being held in the community centre of the area.