THE Central Jail, situated in the heart of the city at Ajni, is set to be shifted to a new place as the administration in Nagpur has started search for 450 acres of land. A new Central Jail will be built on the selected land to meet needs for the next 100 years. Search process for a land parcel has already been started by joint teams from the Revenue Department and the Prison Department. Jail Superintendent Vaibhav Aage confirmed this news to ‘The Hitavada’. He stated that the new jail would be built with future needs in mind. “The proposal for the new Central Jail has been sent to the district-level committee, chaired by the Principal District Judge,” Aage said. As per the proposal, the new jail will span 450 acres, which will also include an open jail for women covering 150 acres.

 

After the proposal was sent to the District Level Committee, the District Collector directed the Tehsildars of each tehsil to identify reserved land available in the district. The Prison Department officials inspected land in Hingna area but it was rejected due to the presence of a hillock. According to the Prison Department’s rules, a jail cannot be constructed on land with a hillock. As a result, the Prison Department has requested alternative land in the district. Officials from the Prison Department are focusing on constructing a single-storied structure, not a multi-storied building. They stated that when inmates are in jail for extended periods, the administration works to reform them. In this process, the jail’s environment plays an important role. As there are no entertainment options for inmates, the natural surroundings — such as nature, forests, trees, insects, and small animals — provide a refreshing change. This helps improve their mood and encourages reforms.

 

Therefore, the new jail will be built on a vast land with farms, trees, and natural beauty, they added. It is worth mentioning that the Home Department has established district-level committees to assess the infrastructure available in prisons and the need for more prisons in the State. These committees were formed following the directions of the Supreme Court. They have been tasked with considering the infrastructure requirements for the next 100 years. In its order dated January 30, in a writ petition (civil), the Supreme Court of India directed the formation of these district-level committees to assess the infrastructure needs of prisons. Consequently, the Home Department of the Maharashtra Government has appointed six-member district-level committees. Each committee is being chaired by the Principal/District Judge, with the Secretary of the District Legal Services Authority as the convenor. The other four members include District Magistrate, Commissioner of Police, Superintendent of Police, and Superintendent of Prison. 

 

 

 

IN MAHARASHTRA, open jails for women are located in Akola and Yerwada. When women at Nagpur Central Jail and nearby District Central Jails were asked to shift to the open jail in Akola, they showed little interest due to the distance, as Akola is almost 250 km away. The new open jail for women will provide significant benefits for female inmates.