CHENNAI: In an effort to clear the huge backlog of cases, `calling work' — disposing of petty cases — in Magistrate Courts in six Corporations in the State will be taken up between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. on an experimental basis, Law and Public Works Department Minister Durai Murugan informed the Assembly on Friday.

Replying to the debate on the demands for his Ministry, Mr. Durai Murugan said the Government was accepting the suggestion of the High Court and shifting the `calling work' to evening hours to enable Courts to take up other cases during normal working hours. Until now, petty cases were taken up during the first two hours of the day.

The Government wanted all Courts across the State to function from their own buildings and had made unprecedented Rs. 64-crore allocation this year to facilitate the process, he said.

Integrated Court complexes would be set up at Egmore, Cuddalore, Karur, Namakkal, Panruti, Tiruppur, Aranthangi, Paramakudi, Sivagangai, Tuticorin, Poonamallee, Arni, Gudiyattam and Aruppukottai at a cost of about Rs.100 crore.

Orders would be issued for constructing new buildings for Courts at Erode, Tiruvannamalai, Kumbakonam, Vedaranyam and Arur.

The Minister announced the setting up of Courts in 19 places across the State at a cost of Rs.16.5 crore. These include an additional Labour Court at Vellore and a new Labour Court in Chennai; Sub Courts at Tiruchengode, Rasipuram and Neyveli; District Munsif and Magistrate Courts at Uthukkottai, Vadipatti, Papireddipatti and Vedaranyam; two Special Courts under TNPID Act at Madurai and Coimbatore, Women's Court at Chengalpattu and Pudukottai; and a Court in Kanyakumari to deal with Forest-related crimes.

Responding to a demand from Sriperumbudur MLA D.Yasodha (Congress) for setting up a court in her constituency, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi said he was giving his consent for setting up a court in the town.

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