VIJAYAWADA: High Court commenced at Interim Judicial Complex (IJC), Nelapadu, in the capital region of Amaravati on Monday. The Andhra Pradesh HC had been shifted to Vijayawada from Hyderabad on January 2, but it was located temporarily at the Chief Minister’s camp office as the works of the IJC were not complete.
On day one, the environs of the IJC witnessed joyous moments with the congregation of the legal fraternity and the farmers who parted with their lands for the construction of the capital city.
Police made security arrangements at the IJC and traffic was diverted by the police on the Karakatta Road from 9 to 11 am and 4 pm to 6 pm to ensure a hassle-free movement of the vehicles heading towards Nelapadu.
Around 9.50 am, Acting Chief Justice (ACJ) C Praveen Kumar reached the IJC and received the guard of honour from the police officials.
The ACJ went around the premises and felicitated the capital region farmers for contributing their lands for the construction of the IJC. For the record, a total of 23 court halls, including one for the Chief Justice, and the chambers for lawyers, have been constructed as part of the complex. The complex will have around 2.25 lakh sq ft of built-up area constructed at an estimated cost of `158 crore.
“As the HC commenced its proceedings from Nelapadu, people of the capital region will now have easy access to justice,” said S Srinivas Rao, an HC advocate. However, there was an urgent need to improve basic infrastructure like road connectivity, transportation, drinking water and canteen facility at the IJC. We are expecting the facilities to be developed after the summer vacation, he added.
Meanwhile, the High Court Advocates Association also appealed to the ACJ to ensure issuing of case listing through a weekly list, cause list and supplement list on the lines of the Supreme Court.
At present, the advocates are receiving case details through SMS and the public can access them on the High Court website hc.ap.nic.in.
Another advocate, K Sivaram Prasad, stressed the need for an ATM, a post office and a first aid centre for the convenience of the advocates and the clients.
AP Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) commissioner Ch Sridhar Babu said that officials concerned are directed to design proposals for establishing a canteen with a capacity to cater to at least 1,500 persons per day. We will coordinate with the APSRTC officials to increase the frequency of buses from Vijayawada and Guntur to Nelapadu to avoid inconvenience to advocates and clients, he added.