Delhi govt nod to shifting Patiala House district courts

NEW DELHI: Delhi Government today approved a long-pending proposal to shift the congested Patiala House district courts to a new complex at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg in central Delhi which will cost an estimated Rs 306 crore.

A meeting of the Delhi Cabinet, presided by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, approved construction of the new eco-friendly court complex.

"The Patiala House which is housing the New Delhi District Courts has become too congested. That is why we have decided to construct a new court complex," Dikshit said after the cabinet meeting.

The Patiala House, which was designed by renowned British architect Edwin Lutyens, is situated at Tilak Marg near India Gate in central Delhi.

The new court complex at DDU Marg will have a total built up area of 7.5 lakh sq ft and the building will have central air-conditioning.

"The building will be constructed strictly following green building concept and it will have 41 court rooms spreading over eight floors," Dikshit said.

Officials said the building will have solar panel for external lighting, covered roof with solar panels and proper traffic management.

The government has taken care of security aspect and has decided to install an automatic security system in the building. A time frame of four years has been fixed for completion of the project.

The officials said there there will be separate access areas for judges, lawyers, litigants and convicts, apart from an auditorium with capacity of 200 people.

They said Union Ministry of Urban Development has already allotted a plot measuring five acres for the complex.

The cabinet also approved a proposal to enhance funds for purchase of desktops and laptops for use at residence by around 700 judicial and executive officers under the city government.

The decision will benefit 427 judicial officers and 270 IAS and DANICS (Delhi, Andaman Nicobar Island Civil Services) officers.