Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said the Dhaka Central Jail that inherits the rich history of ancient Dhaka and Bengal, will be shifted to Keraniganj on the outskirts of the capital in June.
The premier made the statement while inaugurating the Jail Week at Kashimpur Jail in Gazipur on Tuesday morning.
She said: “After the shifting, the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum and National Four Leaders Memorial Museum will be opened for people and the remaining area of the jail will be turned into a park, serving the need for open spaces in the stuffy older part of Dhaka.”
“The jail authorities have to face tougher punishment if any of them is found to be involved with militancy, drug dealing or any other crime,” Sheikh Hasina said.
Built on 36 acres of land, the central jail at Nazimuddin Road in Old Dhaka also witnessed many historical episodes. The facility housed many political prisoners, especially during the Language Movement of 1952, the Six-Point Movement and the Liberation War of 1971.
The process of shifting the Dhaka Central Jail has been going on in phases since 2003. A portion of the jail was shifted to Gazipur after the establishment of four separate jails in Kashimpur.
The project for constructing jails in Keraniganj on 194 acres of land was approved in the 2005-06 fiscal year. The construction work began in September 2007.