TIRUCHY: Visitors to the new combined court buildings -- out of which 28 courts function -- on the premises of the district court at Cantonment in the city not only have to deal with the litigations they are involved in but also rue the lack of proper amenities like toilets, potable water units and breastfeeding rooms. Save for the toilets in the new building, there are only two such facilities on the court campus.
Of them, the one near the gate on Beema Nagar Road has yet to turn functional since its completion in 2012-2013. It is because the facility, built by tapping into MLA constituency development fund, never was officially opened, said advocates.
As for the other toilet which is located near the judicial magistrate court (1-6) it is left in want of frequent cleaning, they added. The toilets on the ground floor of the new building are left in a similar situation as they remain closed for want of cleaning.
The visitors are hence forced to use the few toilets on the other two floors. This forces some of them to relieve themselves out in the open, sources said. P Muruganantham, an advocate, said, "The public suffers as the toilet facilities are poor and inadequate. Potable water facility is also absent in many of the courts and the public are forced to buy them.
Despite raising the issue several times no serious steps have been taken to resolve the issues. Further, as the campus does not have a breastfeeding room, many concerned lawyers make efforts to arrange their clients a safe space by requesting women advocates for their room for some time." When contacted, an official from the PWD’s building maintenance division said, "The issues have not been conveyed to us. I shall tell staff to check and do the needful."