With the Delhi High Court directing the Delhi Government to open more forensic science laboratories in the city, the State Government had decided to start a lab at Yashwant Place in Chanakyapuri on a temporary basis till three new full-fledged laboratories are established in the Capital.
With only one forensic science laboratory available in the city at Rohini, the pendency of criminal cases awaiting FSL reports has mounted to over 9,000. The new facility at Yashwant Place will, however, deal only with new cases related to the FSL divisions that witness relatively more rush than the others.
“Divisions like DNA, toxicology and documents witness heavy rush at the Rohini FSL. Once the lab at Yashwant Place becomes operational, the new cases related to these divisions will be handled at the new facility as shifting samples of the pending cases from the Rohini FSL is not a good idea,” a Delhi Government official said.
The facility is likely to start operation from September. The Home Department has hired the top floor of Yashwant Place from the New Delhi Municipal Council for a period of six years. While the Public Works Department has started doing the civil work, the Home Department officials said they issued the expression of interest for procuring equipment earlier this month.
Meanwhile, the Home Department has taken possession of land allotted by the Delhi Development Authority for a new FSL at Sector 20-22, Rohini. The DDA has also allotted plots at Sheikh Sarai and Suryapur (near Chhatarpur) in South Delhi to the Home Department for establishing FSL.
“Civil work has already started construction of wall at the Rohini plot. The PWD would be constructing the building. A meeting was also held between the Home and PWD Secretary on Monday in order to expedite the civil work,” an official said.
Sources, however, said the government will still require three to four years to make the new FSL operational.
