Heritage architectural structures housing the various high courts in the country will soon have dedicated fund for better conservation and protection. In a first of its kind move, the government has established a fund of `450 crores for maintenance of heritage court buildings in the country. Most of these heritage structures were constructed during the British period.
Official sources stated that the proposal of the Union law and justice ministry is aimed at protecting the historical and architectural heritage under the aegis of the judiciary. The proposal was put forth after it was acknowledged that there was no dedicated funding for the maintenance of heritage structures from where various high courts operated. There were also demands from several quarters for providing more funds for the protection of these important buildings which are also a part of the country’s history.
The Bombay high court, Madras high court, Calcutta high court and Delhi high court are expected to be covered under the first phase of the project.
“Most of these buildings were constructed during British period and are examples of architecture prevalent during the pre-independence period. The fund was created as it was felt that there was an urgent need for a fund as many of these buildings were in need for proper maintenance and upkeep,” sources added.
The `450 crore fund for maintenance of heritage court buildings is part of the government’s proposal to improve the justice delivery mechanism in the country.
In all, the 13th finance commission has recommended a grant of `5,000 crores for introduction of several measures to improve the justice delivery mechanism in the country.