The Joint Project Management Committee (JPMC) charged to oversee construction of the upcoming, state of the art Magistrates Court building met on site on Thursday 30 July to assess its progress.
The new building will house the Magistrates’ Court, Family Tribunal, Employment Tribunal, Rent Board and Juvenile Courts. It includes major features such as ramps and elevators instead of staircases only to be more inclusive, and other details which will improve functionality for Magistrates, court staff, and the public at large.
The entire funding of construction and basic furnishing of the Magistrates Court is borne by the Government of India through established bilateral cooperation.
The Committee is comprised of local government (Ministry of Housing, Infrastructure, and Land Transport), the Indian High Commission, the contracting company Turnkey Solutions, and the Judiciary.
Construction officially began on 9 March 2019. The total budget of the project is SCR 44,829,347.50 which is handled by the Indian High Commission, as it is a grant. The tentative finishing date for this project has been set for end of August 2020 so that the official opening can be hosted in September 2020.
According to the contracting company, there were some unexpected delays due to heavy rain in the month of September, November, and December 2019. There were also challenges related to the outbreak of COVID-19, such as delays in Procurement of the overseas materials.
Local media houses were able to visit the site along with the Project Management Committee members and film the interiors so as to gain a better understanding of the structure, its layout, and to keep the public informed through their news segments.
After the site visit, Principal Secretary for the Ministry of Habitat, Infrastructure, and Land Transport Yves Choppy and Wilson Nancy from the contracting company Turnkey Solutions were interviewed by Telesesel and the Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation.