VISAKHAPATNAM: Poor basic amenities in the district court courts, need of new infrastructure and setting up of a high court bench in Visakhapatnam were the major agenda during the Visakhapatnam Bar Association (VBA) elections.
The new body of the VBA, which was elected on Monday, has put basic facility at the district court at the top of its priority list.
“We have only three to four toilets in the court premises here, but they are in bad shape. A few are not in working condition, thanks to the poor maintenance. Lawyers and clients, especially women, are facing a lot of inconvenience. We want to set them right,” N Venkata Suman, the newly president of the VBA told Express on Tuesday, while listing out his priorities.
The court premises does not even have drinking water facilities. There is not a proper parking lot and it takes almost 15 to 20 minutes to park a four-wheeler in teh court premises.
“We will find solutions to these issues first. Ensuring basic amenities at the court is high on our agenda,” he said, adding that around 1,500 people including those from legal fraternity and clients come to the district court regularly.
The lack of infrastructure has also been a nagging issue. A criminal court and an auditorium has been a long-pending demands of the lawyers.
Five years ago, the criminal court on the district court premises was demolished over land issues and recently, the government has released `30 crore for its reconstruction.
“Apart from this issue, plans are afoot to set up an auditorium with a sitting capacity of 1,500,” Suman said.
Asked about the high court bench in the city, he said: “People from Srikakulam to Rajahmundry can have an easy access if a High Court is set up here. We are very committed to the issue,” he added.