State to get two new Central jails

ADGP Prisons P C Thakur said,“The Central jails are required in Rajkot and Surat for smoothing up the functions. Having Central jails in all the four commissionarates in the state would streamline the population of prisoners in the state.”

While Surat Central Jail is expected to accommodate nearly 3,000 prisoners,the Rajkot Central Jail would accommodate 1,000 to 1,200 prisoners.

The Ahmedabad (Sabarmati) Central Jail that was housing prisoners from Ahmedabad,north Gujarat (four districts),Saurashtra (eight districts) and Kutch,who are under life terms,undertrials,Saurashtra- Kutch prisoners with more than five years term and north Gujarat prisoners with more than six months term.

Hence,the overcrowding at Ahmedabad Central Jail is the high in the state. The new Rajkot Central Jail would take away nearly half the population of prisoners from Ahmedabad,prison officials said.

The Vadodara Central Jail that was accommodating prisoners from the whole of central Gujarat and south Gujarat.

The south Gujarat prisoners with six months term,women prisoners with one year term and other prisoners with life term and undertrials are lodged in Vadodara Central Jail.

According to the officials,although Vadodara Central Jail accommodated south Gujarat prisoners,the Surat sub-jail was badly overcrowding with prisoners. Looking at the alarming rise in prisoners in Surat,the Prisons Department decided to convert the district jail to Central jail.

The prisons officials said while the Surat district jail has capacity of 300 prisoners only,at present,it has 1,600 prisoners. However,there is not much overcrowding in Rajkot district jail but the neighbouring district jails of Porbandar,Bhavnagar,Jamnagar and Amreli sub-jail was overcrowding with undertrials.

The state police would appoint two new superintendents for the Rajkot and Surat Central jails respectively.

The Prisons Department has already begun shortlisting jail staffers for the two new Central jails. The 107 jail assistants,who recently finished their training at Sabarmati Central Jail,would be posted in Rajkot and Surat Central Jails.

The Rajkot Central Jail would be inaugurated on February 26.