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The government has taken an initiative to construct multistorey residential complexes for judicial officers in all 64 districts and eight metropolitan cities to address their housing shortage and improve their security.
The complexes are planned to be 10 to 15 storeys high, depending on the location, according to a handout issued by the Press Information Department (PID).
The Law and Justice Division under the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs has instructed district and sessions judges to identify suitable sites and submit spatial layouts and other necessary information for construction of the residential buildings.
The Planning Unit of the Law and Justice Division issued a letter in this regard on September 2.
According to the letter, around 30 to 50 judges of different ranks currently work in civil and criminal courts and various special tribunals in each district.
However, except in a few districts, most districts lack adequate or integrated government residential facilities for judicial officers.
As a result, many judges have to live in rented accommodation, which the division said poses security risks to them and their families because of the sensitive nature of the cases they handle.
The Law and Justice Division said adequate land is available at many district judgeships for the construction of residential buildings.
It said modern 10- to 15-storey residential complexes in each district and metropolitan city would not only help address the existing housing shortage but also meet growing demand in the future through optimum use of available land.
Centralised residential complexes would also make it easier to ensure CCTV surveillance, designated entry points and round-the-clock armed police security, according to the letter.
The buildings will be constructed under a proposed project titled **“Construction of Residential Buildings for Judicial Officers in 64 Districts and 8 Metropolitan Cities.”**
Under the project, district and sessions judges have been asked to provide details and spatial layouts showing the amount of land available at court premises, as well as at old court and Munsif court premises under their jurisdiction.
If sufficient land is unavailable on court premises, they have also been asked to identify potential sites within one kilometre of the district judge court building where land could be acquired if necessary.
Executive engineers of the Public Works Department in the respective districts have also been asked to take necessary steps to conduct digital surveys of the proposed sites.