Patiala House courts to soon get a new address

NEW DELHI: The congested district courts operating out of the Patiala House will soon have a new address as the Delhi government has approved a long-pending proposal to shift it to a new complex at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg in central Delhi. The court complex will come up at an estimated cost of Rs 306 crore.
After a recently held meeting, the Delhi cabinet approved the construction of a new eco-friendly court complex.“The Patiala House, which has the New Delhi district courts, has become too congested. That is why we have decided to construct a new court complex,” said chief minister Sheila Dikshit after the cabinet meeting. The Patiala House, which was designed by 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 complex will be constructed strictly following the green building concept and it will have 41 courtrooms spread over eight floors,” Dikshit said.
Officials said the building will have solar panel for external lighting, a covered roof and proper traffic management. The government has taken care of the 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.
Government officials said there will be separate access areas for judges, lawyers, litigants and convicts, apart from an auditorium with a capacity of 200 people. The 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 residences by around 700 judicial and executive officers under Delhi government. The decision will benefit 427 judicial officers and 270 IAS and DANICS (Delhi, Andaman Nicobar Island Civil Services) officers.