Alipurduar, Feb. 26 -- The construction of the new Alipurduar District Court building is nearing completion, with court proceedings set to commence in March. The six-storey structure, modelled after the Calcutta High Court, has been built at Rs 64 crore and is expected to be handed over by the Public Works Department (PWD) soon.

The demand for a dedicated district court has been long-standing since Alipurduar was carved out of Jalpaiguri district in 2014. In response, a temporary district court was established in April 2023.

However, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee envisioned a unified judicial complex similar to the district administrative offices housed in Dooars Kanya. Acting on this vision, the government approved the construction of a single, modern court building within the Alipurduar court premises.

The state-of-the-art facility, built at a cost of Rs 64 crore, is now in its final phase of construction. The Public Works Department (PWD) is set to hand over the building soon.

"Rs. 64 crore has been allocated for this modern judicial complex. We are in the final stages of work and aim to complete it by March," said Pradip Haldar, Executive Engineer of the Alipurduar PWD.

The new facility will accommodate various courts, including Fast Track, Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Munsef, and Special Courts, ensuring greater convenience for litigants. Mridul Goswami, President of the Alipurduar Bar Association, stated: "With all courts operating under one roof, people seeking justice will no longer have to move between different locations."

During an administrative meeting in Alipurduar on January 22, 2025, Mridul Goswami, who also serves as Vice Chairman of the North Bengal Development Board, informed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee about the near completion of the project. In response, the Chief Minister expressed her intent to inaugurate the building in person, schedule permitting. If unable to attend, she assured that the inauguration would take place virtually.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.