The state government is planning to add more floors for existing jail buildings by converting them from the present ground plus one structures to ground plus three to accommodate more inmates
To relieve the pressure on Maharashtra's jails which are busting at the seams due to excess inmates, the state home department is planning to set up three new prisons including one in Mumbai.
"We are planning to construct three new prisons at Mankhurd in Mumbai, Gondia in Vidarbha and Ahmednagar. We have sought land for the construction of the prison at Mankhurd East to ease the pressure on the Arthur road, Byculla and Taloja facilities in Mumbai. The Maharashtra prisons department is also looking at building new prisons at Gondia and Ahmednagar," a senior state home department official told DNA.
He added that while the Gondia jail could help the police keep prisoners from the Naxalite violence affected district of Gadchiroli located next door, the Ahmednagar prison will complement the existing district jail in the town. The Gondia and Ahmednagar prisons will have a capacity of 300 inmates each. While Gondia was carved out as a district in 1999 from Bhandara, it does not have a separate jail.
As on March 31, 2017, the 54 jails in Maharashtra, including nine central prisons, held 30,485 inmates, including undertrials (73%) and convicts (27%) as against the capacity of 23,942, which ensured an occupancy of 127%.
"However, the problem is more intense in Mumbai and surrounding areas with the Arthur road, Byculla, Taloja, Aadhaarwadi (Kalyan) and Thane jails being packed beyond their capacity," the official explained, noting that the Arthur road housed about 2,772 inmates including high-profile politicians like former deputy chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal and 1993 Mumbai blasts accused Mustafa Dossa versus its capacity of just 804.
The state government is planning to add more floors for existing jail buildings by converting them from the present ground plus one structures to ground plus three to accommodate more inmates.
Maharashtra has 54 prisons including nine central jails, 19 class-I district prisons, 23 class-II district prisons and three class-III district jails. This also includes 11 open prisons, one special prison at Ratnagiri, one women prison at Byculla, one open colony at Atpadi in Sangli, and one Borstal school at Nashik.
...& ANALYSIS
- While new jails will decongest existing facilities, focus is also needed on prison reforms
- The state must also deploy more policemen to ensure that undertrials are escorted to court on the date of their hearing
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