PM opens central jail at Keraniganj today

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the newly constructed Central Jail in Keraniganj today, though inmates of the Dhaka Central Jail in old Dhaka have not yet been shifted to the new jail. According to a senior Jail Super, the jail authorities have not yet decided when to shift the inmates from the old central jail to the new one. The Premier will inaugurate the new central jail buildings, though the outdoor establishments of the new jail are yet to be completed. Not only that, the authorities concerned are yet to take steps to ensure security of the adjacent areas of the newly constructed jail, the jail official added. Inspector General (IG) of Prisons, Brig Gen Syed Iftekhar Uddin, said at a press conference on Friday that they are inaugurating the new Central Jail as it is ready to accommodate inmates. He, however, informed media people that they will shift inmates from the old Dhaka jail to the new jail after the PM’s inauguration and they will ensure its security by deploying additional patrolling by the members of the police and the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). He also said that they will go ahead with the inauguration of the new jail, which will be fully completed only by 2017, as the old Dhaka Central Jail is overcrowded. He added that prison authorities will shift all the male inmates from the existing Dhaka Central Jail to the new one after its inauguration while the women prisoners will be shifted to Kashimpur Jail in Gazipur. The accommodation capacity of the new central jail is around 4,000 and it can be raised up to 8,000 as adequate open spaces are available in the jail premises. Of the 4,000 accommodation capacity of the jail, 100 seats will be for male adolescents, 30 for mentally-challenged male prisoners, 200 for woman inmates, 40 for female adolescent prisoners and 20 for female mentally-challenged prisoners. Besides, 60 classified wards and 400 cells are being constructed for dangerous prisoners. There is also a VIP prisoner cell named ‘Chompakoli’ for accommodating VIP inmates like political leaders, and four high security cells — Banaful, Bakul, Shapla and Surjomukhi — for dangerous inmates like top terrorists and militants. Out of the buildings, named Korotoya, Karnaphuli, Padma, Meghna, Jamuna, Motihar and Padma, in the newly built jail, Motihar and Padma are still under construction while the others have been completed. The PWD is implementing the project over 194.41 acres of land costing Tk.406 crore. A 200-bed hospital and a day-care centre have also been set up at the new premises at Rajendrapur under south Keraniganj, adjacent to the Dhaka-Mawa Highway.

PM opens central jail at Keraniganj today

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the newly constructed Central Jail in Keraniganj today, though inmates of the Dhaka Central Jail in old Dhaka have not yet been shifted to the new jail. According to a senior Jail Super, the jail authorities have not yet decided when to shift the inmates from the old central jail to the new one. The Premier will inaugurate the new central jail buildings, though the outdoor establishments of the new jail are yet to be completed. Not only that, the authorities concerned are yet to take steps to ensure security of the adjacent areas of the newly constructed jail, the jail official added. Inspector General (IG) of Prisons, Brig Gen Syed Iftekhar Uddin, said at a press conference on Friday that they are inaugurating the new Central Jail as it is ready to accommodate inmates. He, however, informed media people that they will shift inmates from the old Dhaka jail to the new jail after the PMs inauguration and they will ensure its security by deploying additional patrolling by the members of the police and the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). He also said that they will go ahead with the inauguration of the new jail, which will be fully completed only by 2017, as the old Dhaka Central Jail is overcrowded. He added that prison authorities will shift all the male inmates from the existing Dhaka Central Jail to the new one after its inauguration while the women prisoners will be shifted to Kashimpur Jail in Gazipur. The accommodation capacity of the new central jail is around 4,000 and it can be raised up to 8,000 as adequate open spaces are available in the jail premises. Of the 4,000 accommodation capacity of the jail, 100 seats will be for male adolescents, 30 for mentally-challenged male prisoners, 200 for woman inmates, 40 for female adolescent prisoners and 20 for female mentally-challenged prisoners. Besides, 60 classified wards and 400 cells are being constructed for dangerous prisoners. There is also a VIP prisoner cell named Chompakoli for accommodating VIP inmates like political leaders, and four high security cells Banaful, Bakul, Shapla and Surjomukhi for dangerous inmates like top terrorists and militants. Out of the buildings, named Korotoya, Karnaphuli, Padma, Meghna, Jamuna, Motihar and Padma, in the newly built jail, Motihar and Padma are still under construction while the others have been completed. The PWD is implementing the project over 194.41 acres of land costing Tk.406 crore. A 200-bed hospital and a day-care centre have also been set up at the new premises at Rajendrapur under south Keraniganj, adjacent to the Dhaka-Mawa Highway.