Shimla, June 22 -- Chief secretary Prabodh Saxena on Saturday emphasised the need for legal solutions to enhance the management of court cases within the Himachal Pradesh public works department (HPPWD). The chief secretary was presiding over a day-long workshop organised by the HPPWD at its headquarters on Saturday, aimed at capacity building and improving court case management. The key challenges faced by PWD include roads built on private land, lack of proper entries in revenue records, and legal claims for compensation by landowners. Currently, around 1,600 such cases are pending in various courts across the state. Saxena said, "Arbitration alone should not be our only focus. Each case must be handled with seriousness and accountability." "People today have a deeper understanding of their constitutional rights, which has led to an increase in litigation cases. This calls for better preparedness and systemic improvements," said Saxena, while adding that due to more public awareness the number of court cases has risen significantly. Secretary, PWD, Abhishek Jain stated that the objective of the workshop was to deliberate on ways to reduce discrepancies in the handling of court cases within the PWD. Jain highlighted that the total financial liability arising from already decided and ongoing land acquisition cases has beententatively estimated at Rs.300 crore. The liability may rise to approximately Rs.1,000 crore once all pending cases are considered. htc...