"Like any good law, the ADR will also remain largely ineffective and a mere paper legislation if this legislation is not duly activated," he said while inaugurating a day-long training workshop at a city hotel.

The workshop on 'Mediation techniques: Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in the Civil Justice Delivery System in Bangladesh' was jointly organised by the Legal and Judicial Capacity Building Project and the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs.

At least 100 judges and lawyers of Dhaka Division took part in the workshop.

Presided over by Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Moudud Ahmed, the inaugural function was also addressed by State Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs M Shahjahan Omar, World Bank's Country Director Christine I Wallich, Law Secretary Mohammed Asaduzzaman, and Project Director M Fazlur Rahman.

The chief justice said the ADR concept was introduced in the country to avoid delay, unnecessary expenses and congestion in the process of civil litigation. He said this concept would be fruitful if put into practice at the grassroots level by all concerned.

Moudud Ahmed in his speech brought a similarity between the new concept of ADR and the traditional Salish system, which had long been in practice in rural areas to settle various disputes.

"The government has only given a legal shape to it by amending the civil procedure code to make justice more accessible and affordable to the litigants," he said.

Moudud Ahmed said the success of ADR concept mostly depends on the sincere and good wishes of the judges and the lawyers.