Bhubaneswar, April 24: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik today expressed concern over long-pending cases in various courts of the state and urged the Centre to fill up eight vacant posts of judges in Orissa High Court at the earliest.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the conference, which was presided over by Chief Justice of India Justice T.S. Thakur.

Speaking at the joint conference of chief ministers of states/Union territories and chief justices of high courts in New Delhi, Naveen said that despite non-receipt of central assistance since 2004, Odisha had been making every possible effort to strengthen its judicial infrastructure.

Naveen said work on a Rs 200-crore judicial complex was coming up in Bhubaneswar to accommodate several courts under a single roof. Besides, construction on 17 district court buildings was going on.

"The state proposes to establish 29 new courts, including four family courts, Lok Adalats, legal literacy campus and legal assistance cells, in every gram panchayat," he said.

The chief minister urged the Centre to supplement the efforts of the state by providing additional resources for creating court infrastructure, residential buildings and other amenities.

In his speech, chief minister said that having recognised the importance of timely delivery of justice to common citizens, the state has made substantial progress on important decisions taken during the last joint conference held in 2015.

Speaking about his government's endeavour to strengthen the justice delivery system, Naveen said 30 courts of first class judicial magistrate had been established for ensuring speedy trial of offences against women in the state.

Further, 26 additional courts of first class judicial magistrates had been set up in remote and topographically challenging areas.

Naveen also said gram nayalayas had been set up in remote areas of the state to cater to the needs of the rural population. He also spoke about Orissa High Court's modern court complex and the government's effort in setting up the Odisha Judicial Academy to impart quality training to judicial officers.

He also highlighted that a state level mediation centre and 21 similar facilities in the districts had been operationalised for early disposal of cases across the state.

The chief minister said that the state had agreed to bear all the recurring expenses required for implementing e-court projects beyond the period supported by the Centre. He said that state government would also support digitisation of records of the high court.