Special Correspondent
Panaji
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday told the legislative assembly that the courts currently operating from Mapusa would soon be shifted to the North Goa District Court Complex at Merces.
He said the government had entered into a lease agreement with the owners of Raj Raunak Building in Mapusa to house two courts temporarily on the second and third floors. “The lease for the second floor expired on December 31, 2024, while the lease
for the third floor will expire on December 8, 2025,” he said.
Sawant said the long-term plan is to shift these two courts along with a third court currently in Mapusa to the newly constructed Merces complex in Tiswadi taluka, where necessary space has already been earmarked.
He said congestion and lack of parking—especially in the current premises above Bagayatdar Bazaar—would be addressed once the courts are shifted.
Earlier, Aldona Congress MLA Carlos Ferreira raised a Calling Attention Motion highlighting congestion and parking problems at the Mapusa courts. He said the issues were causing inconvenience to lawyers, litigants, and witnesses.
Sawant said interim measures will be taken to ease the situation until the courts are shifted. He said the police department would be asked to deploy traffic police during peak hours and that the Mapusa Municipal Council would be requested to demarcate parking slots nearby.
He added that a suitable land parcel would be identified to develop additional parking facilities to meet current demand.
