Subhash Jindal/Chandigarh

Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association, Chandigarh seeks more area for High Court and as well as parking space. 

Honourary Secretary of the Association Mr. Gagandeep Jammu, said ,  the matter pertaining to extension of area in the existing High Court premises is pending before the Court since 2013 and no headway has been made therein, primarily because the Holistic Plan of Extension did not get approval.

Mr. Jammu said, in 2018, the High Court noticed requirement of 3.21 lakh sq feet covered area, and for its branches and records, the High Court has been requisitioning space in old District Courts Complex and Building on rent in sector 17, the old secretariat building etc.

The requirement has increased over these 7 years and for our Bar members, who are now touching 15000, the numbers would rise to about 25000 in another 10 years, there is already no space for decent sitting or parking of vehicles.

The earlier Holistic Plan (in the parking area in front of gate no 2) stands rejected and the new plan which is likely to come up would provide extra apace of about 3 lakhs sq feet area which would have 16 court rooms and an underground parking for about 600/700 cars - as against about 500 parked in the open. Bar members would get only about 60,000 sq feet area which would also be completely insufficient.

Besides a parking space would be created underground in front of rock garden providing parking for about 2500 cars as against the 800-900 cars already parked there.

All this would require about 1 year and 6 months for approval if granted, the final approval being required to be given by UNESCO. Thereafter, it would take more than 5 years to complete the project with lot of congestion, dust, blockades and reduction of parking space while the construction work takes place, due to construction material, machinery and vehicles.

Besides, there are only two entry/exits to the high court which cannot be increased and with the ever increasing traffic and demand of space, due to increase in number of Judges, employees, advocates, advocates staff and litigants, the pathways shall continue to get more and more congested.

The earlier Holistic Plan (in the parking area in front of gate no 2) stands rejected and the new plan which is likely to come up would provide extra apace of about 3 lakhs sq feet area which would have 16 court rooms and an underground parking for about 600/700 cars - as against about 500 parked in the open. Bar members would get only about 60,000 sq feet area which would also be completely insufficient.

For this proposals were given for raising of a new High Court Complex in Chandigarh U.T. itself – The proposal for a new complex being raised in the it  Area was rejected due to lack of sufficient space, low FAR and approach roads as the area already houses a College and 6 Schools which vary the opening closing timings to avoid congestion and jams. The proposal for land near the Furniture Market in Sectors 52, 53,54 Chandigarh was also rejected due to non-availability of vacant land which is even otherwise not contiguous.

The other option given to us by the Chandigarh Administration and Government of India is the proposal of a new High Court Complex over land measuring about 49 acres in Sarangpur(UT Chandigarh) creating a state of art building providing over 42 Lakh sq. feet covered area.

This would provide sufficient space for decent sitting and ear marked parking for Advocates as well as Employees for the next 20-25 years. All our members would be able to respectfully follow the profession.

Sarangpur also has the main metro station planned which would enhance connectivity besides which connectivity would be from various major roads including the planned flyover from PGI side, the marble market being removed for widening the road to 200 feet and many roads coming in from District Mohalli and the Airport side. All this would decongest traffic ingress and outgress to the proposed High Court which would have entry exit from all four directions with two gates each.

Another important thing to be noted is that the Government is willing to spend money only on one option. In case we go in for the holistic project then the new high court complex project would stand shelved and in future there would be no space available with the Chandigarh Administration sufficient for the purpose, just like the spaces in IT Park and sectors 53,54 have been given to the Chandigarh Housing Board.

Both the projects are likely to take roughly 5 to 7 years. So either we stay congested here or we breath into the future.

Associstion also seek the consent of the members and the voting process and dates shall be notified in due course, added Gagandeep Jammu.