Diana Fernandes
The High Court of Bombay at Goa may have issued an order to complete the construction of the new court in Merces by January 15, 2018 but with no plan or tenders floated, there seems to be little hope as many advocates have raised eyebrows on whether or not the premises will be ready in time.
The Court in its order directed the government of Goa to complete the construction of the court complex at Merces in all respects by January 15, 2018 and should be such that the actual use of the building can commence on January 16, 2018.
Additionally the government has also been asked to submit quarterly reports to the court on the progress of the construction of the complex. But so far, no work has been delegated to start construction.
Though the foundation stone was laid in 2009, there has since been no work undertaken on the land. Speaking to the Herald, Advocate Aires Rodrigues said, “We were hopeful when the foundation stone was laid but even after six years, there has been no work at all.”
The work undertaken by the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC) has yet to receive a plan and tenders for which have yet to be floated too.
The North Goa District Advocates’ Association had in their petition to the Bombay High Court asked for a stay on the government’s move to shift the courts from their existing premises to rented spaces at Patto on the outskirts of the city.
Back in 2007, the government had narrowed down on 49,800 square meter of land in Merces that would house 22 courts. Though no tenders were released, the government had also leased out around 4,500 square meters in the Spaces building in Patto to house four of the 22 courts.
The Association had raised objection to the Patto building citing reasons including garbage stench, parking problems and lack of adequate space.
