High Court keen on new building for circuit Bench in Dharwad
The Hindu
- Plan includes court building and residential accommodation
- Court building will have two floors with basement parking
- Each floor will have an area of 7600 sq. m
- New complex to be ready for occupation by December 2006
STATELY STRUCTURE: An artist's impression of the proposed building for the circuit Bench of the Karnataka High Court on the WALMI premises near Dharwad.
DHARWAD: It is now clear that the Karnataka High Court is keen that the circuit Bench in Hubli-Dharwad functions from a new building instead of any existing building on the premises of the Water and Land Management Institute (WALMI) here.
It is in this context that the State Government has planned to expedite the construction of a new building of which the foundation stone was laid by the Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court here on Sunday.
Official sources said the Government would like to expedite work on the building even while prevailing upon the Chief Justice to take steps to get the Bench functioning from the existing building on the premises at the earliest. It was only when the Government finalised plans and prepared a blueprint for the building with the approval of the High Court that the Chief Justice agreed to attend the function to lay the foundation stone.
According to information received here, the Government has prepared a Rs. 66-crore plan for the construction of a new complex on the WALMI premises, 12 km away from Dharwad. The blueprint for the new complex was put on display during the function held on Sunday.
The plan includes the court building and residential accommodation. The court building will have two floors with 10,760 sq. m in the basement for parking vehicles. Each floor will have an area of 7600 sq. m.
It has been planned to build a records room, an office, a property room and rooms for public prosecutors, government pleaders and government advocates, a computer room, post office and an office of the cooperative society. The first floor will have 11 court halls, a library and judges chambers. The second floor will have conference halls, an office, a meeting hall, and offices of Assistant Registrars, Registrar and Registrar-General.
The quarters for judges, Advocate General, Registrar and staff will be on the same premises. The tender process is expected to commence any time. The Government has plans to complete the work in 15 months and expects the new complex to be ready for occupation by next December end.
Preparations being made indicate that the existing buildings on the WALMI premises will not used for the Bench. Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs H.K. Patil told the Legislative Assembly in July that the High Court has agreed to use the existing building for administrative purposes.
One of the purposes for which the Government had proposed the WALMI complex for the location of the Bench is the infrastructure available there.
This, it was thought, offered an advantage to Hubli-Dharwad and would minimise the expenditure on providing infrastructure. for the Bench
But the High Court appears to have preferred a new complex for the Bench.
