Finally the new building for our High Court is set to be inaugurated on March 27th. With the Chief Justice of India S.A.Bobde due to retire next month on April 23rd, the unveiling of that plaque may be his last official function in Goa. With the premises not yet complete in all respects, hopefully from June this year, Goa’s highest Temple of Justice will start functioning from the new premises.
The foundation stone for this new High Court building was laid on 19th December 2013 and we were assured that the construction would be complete in 18th months. After various extended deadlines our High Court building will soon be a reality. The project which was initially tendered for 72 crores was later increased to 90 crores and by now must be nearing 200 crores. Instead of being just another concrete structure it would have been so appropriate if our new High Court building could have reflected the facets of Goan Architecture. It could have symbolically established the continuity of the old buildings where our High court began its working, first from the old Judicial Commissioner’s Court in the city and then to the current old Lyceum complex at Althinho. The legacy of Goa’s rich history in the field of Judicial and legal services should have been placed in a better context for posterity. There was room to plan and design our High Court with a Goan centric finesse. Surprisingly our High Court building has been designed like the Gujarat High Court and has no sloping roof. This is absolutely impractical and inappropriate in view of the very heavy rainfall Goa gets. The authorities need to take remedial measures about the roofing or else we may end up with a leaking High Court while our files wade through knee deep water. Taxpayer’s money has to be very judiciously spent on every project with quality of the works never ever compromised. Every building constructed, so too every road, has to be a very lasting one. A successful project is the one which can achieve a balance between cost, time, and quality. Citizens need to be also vigilant about public projects coming up in their neighborhood as ensuring quality is everyone's responsibility. To ensure that every government project is properly and meticulously executed, Goa desperately needs a full- fledged Quality Control department that is well equipped to technically and administratively monitor and ensure strict compliance of established standards. There should be no room for any substandard construction. With a lot of taxpayer’s money having been spent on our new High Court building we can only hope that the authorities have ensured that the works have been up to the mark and will withstand and endure for decades to come the heavy monsoons that lash our State. Aires Rodrigues Advocate High Court C/G-2, Shopping Complex Ribandar Retreat, Ribandar – Goa – 403006 Mobile No: 9822684372 Office Tel No: (0832) 2444012 Email: [email protected] Or [email protected] You can also reach me on Facebook.com/ AiresRodrigues Twitter@rodrigues_aires www.airesrodrigues.com
