The ground breaking ceremony for the construction of the Trashiyangtse dzongkhag court was conducted by the Supreme Court’s Chief Justice Tshering Wangchuk and Resident Coordinator of the Austrian Coordination office in Thimphu, Dr Johannes Binder on April 3. Funded by the government of Austria under the legal sector programme, a single-storey building with provision for one bench similar to the Lhuentse court will cost about Nu 43 million and is expected to be completed in 18 months. At present, the Trashiyangtse court is housed in the dzong and lacks space and amenities to ensure a free and fair trial. The Austrian Development Cooperation also funded the construction of the Zhemgang, Tsirang, Dagana and Dorokha courts.