After the construction of the judicial complex (JC) at Nelapadu which will accommodate the temporary High Court (HC) and related offices, the State government has paid attention to the development of the Justice City in 450 acres and targeted to complete it by 2036.
The stage is set for the inauguration of the JC by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi on February 3, which Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu rightly described as a historic day as the HC is returning to Vijayawada-Guntur region after 62 years.
The HC had functioned from Guntur city from 1954 to 1956 and then moved to Hyderabad. Spread in 42 acres with a built-up area of 12.20 lakh square feet, the JC is going to be an anchor institution in the Justice City, consisting of 36 court halls in the first phase with a provision for an additional 24 court halls in the future. The estimated cost of the JC has been pegged by AP-Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) at ₹1,400 crore.
Economic activity
In a meeting with the officials, Mr. Chandrababu Naidu ordered that the CRDA and other departments concerned should bring out the best plans for the development of Justice City so that it stands as a benchmark for similar projects elsewhere. Focus should be laid on generating economic activity in the Justice City and in the capital Amaravati, which started taking shape due to the magnanimity of farmers.
Municipal Administration Minister P. Narayana said the construction of five Secretariat towers with a built-up area of 55 lakh square feet was under progress and the permanent Assembly building would be grounded soon with a built-up area of 8.25 lakh square feet.
It may be noted that the A.P. High Court has come into existence on January 1, 2019, following a Presidential order for the division of the High Court of Judicature for A.P. and Telangana.
