SHILLONG, NOV 4: The state government is contemplating to identify a land for construction of a new jail in the state’s capital taking into account the congestion problems faced by the existing jails across the state.
With the recent inauguration of the jail in Ri Bhoi District earlier this year, Meghalaya is now having five functional jails – at Shillong, East Khasi Hills, Tura, West Garo Hills, Williamnagar, East Garo Hills and Jowai, West Jaintia Hills.
A well-placed sources in the government said that the prison department is proposing to look for suitable location for construction of a new jail in the state’s capital.
“The proposal at the moment is at its initial stage,” the source said while pointing out that the reason behind the move is to decongest the existing jails, which are facing a common problem of “overcrowded” especially the one at Shillong.
Established in 1895 under the erstwhile British government, the Shillong district jail is housing over 320 inmates against a capacity of 150 and administering the jail has been affected due to overcrowding.
According to the government source, the proposal for a new jail is also to prevent incidence of jailbreaks.
Apart from the May 31, 2009 sensational Shillong jailbreak, the state has also recorded a maximum number of over 30 jailbreaks during a span of 20 years from 1990 – 2010.
Meanwhile, the source also informed that the government is also proposing to equip all the jails with close-circuit televisions (CCTVs). “The proposal for CCTVs is still waiting for approval of the state government,” the source added.-By Our Reporter
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