Union Urban Development Minister Ram Jethmalani told Express Newsline that the proposal -- the first of its kind to settle land disputes -- has been finalised and the Lok Adalat is expected to be in place by the end of the month.

A retired Judge of either the Supreme Court or the High Court is likely to head the Lok Adalat which is to comprise two members. While the Lok Adalat will be permanent (it will meet on all working days), its jurisdiction will extend only to those matters which are under the purview of the urban affairs ministry. Although non-statutory in nature, the decisions arrived at by the Lok Adalat will be binding on the ministry. Jethmalani said that the need to set up a Lok Adalat was felt following the increasing number of land cases -- estimated to be over 20,000 -- pending in various courts against the DDA and the L&DO. ``The Lok Adalat would go a long way in deciding many of these cases to the satisfaction of both parties, the petitioner and the government agencies involved,'' he said.

Some of these cases have been dragging on for years without a settlement, at the expense of both the petitioner and the government agency involved. Those fighting long-drawn court cases with the DDA and L&DO will now have the option of taking their grievances before the Lok Adalat which would assist in the withdrawal of many of these cases from the courts if it can settle them to the satisfaction of both parties.

Jethmalani has been campaigning to bring down the pending litigation in the government agencies under his ministry. To this end, the minister last month recast the DDA's panel of lawyers, which had been unchanged for several years. Fresh applications were invited and scrutinised as a result of which over half the panel members have been newly appointed.

The DDA has been given instructions to keep litigation to the minimum and carefully scrutinise all pending cases. The agency has also been asked to withdraw litigation which is forced and unjustified.