Stay back on our terms, PCB tells Cantt court

PUNE, MARCH 31: The cantonment court which was on its way out, has received a new lease of life. A new commercial complex is coming up on ...

PUNE, MARCH 31: The cantonment court which was on its way out, has received a new lease of life. A new commercial complex is coming up on the premises where the cantonment court is located in a prime area like M G Road. But the Pune Cantonment Board (PCB) is determined to be generous and has decided to let the court stay, although on the terms and conditions of the cantonment board.

The district court authorities sent a letter to the cantonment court authorities with a request to let them know the terms and conditions under which the board intended to lease out the building.

Earlier, the cantonment board had written to the cantonment court authorities urging them to vacate the premises since the board planned to erect a commercial complex cum multi-storeyed spiral parking plaza.

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In keeping with the changing times, the board had decided to erect four commercial complex in different parts of the cantonment as a means of generating revenue. Complexes are slated to come up at Fashion Street, Shankarsheth Road, Hidayatullah Road and Ghorpadi.

Following a decision to convert the cantonment court premises into a commercial complex, the board formed a committee comprising Vinod Mathurawalla, Vinod Sanghvi, Ashok Pawar and Nizam Kazi to hold discussions with the concerned authorities in the district court to find a solution regarding the shifting of the court to suitable sites.

The Pune Camp Merchants Association (PCMA) had already opposed the construction of the complex and had submitted a memorandum to the Chief Justice of Bombay High Court, urging him to appoint another court having civil and criminal jurisdiction as well as a separate civil court to cater to the needs of the cantonment.

The association president Anand Kocchar also said that he had submitted a memorandum to the cantonment board demanding that the court be permitted to function from here.

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The committee considered the matter and recommended that the court authorities be informed that the building would be given on a lease basis for the purpose of housing the judicial magistrate (first class) court only. The rental will be decided by the board in consultation with the State’s Public Works Department (PWD) authorities. The details will soon be sent to the court authorities for their consideration.