(a) whether a proposal from the Government of Chhattisgarh regarding financial allocation for construction of High Court Building and residential units for the Hon`ble Judges and other officers/staff in Bilaspur city has bee lying pending with the Union Government for the last four months;
(b) if so, the time by which the approval of the Union Government for the proposed plan is likely to be given; and
(c) the action taken by the Government in this regard?
MINISTER OF LAW AND JUSTICE (SHRI K. JANA KRISHNAMURTHI)
(a) A proposal for an amount of Rs.37.87 crore has been received from the State Government of Chhattisgarh for construction of High Court and residential complex of Judges, officers and employees.
(b) & (c) Government of Chhattisgarh has been released an amount of Rs.54 lakhs for this purpose in March, 2002. Planning Commission has allocated an amount of Rs.18.00 crore during the current financial year for construction/extension of High Court building and the use of information technology in High Courts in various States under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme relating to development of infrastructural facilities for judiciary on the basis of 50% matching share by the concerned State. The amount to be released, High Court-wise, has not yet been decided. However, priority will be accorded to redressing the infrastructural deficiencies of the newly established High Court of Chhattisgarh.
The Government of Chhattisgarh is free to construct Judges residences with the funds released to them under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for development of infrastructural facilities for the judiciary. Construction of residential quarters for officers and employees of the High Court is not a permissible item under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme.