Prison authorities are still not sure as to when the new premises of Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj will be inaugurated.
Sources said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is set to inaugurate the newly-built prison located in the Tegharia area of Keraniganj, on the outskirts of the capital. But she has not been able to confirm a date for the inauguration, resulting in the postponement of the event.
“The prime minister has yet to give us a date when she can come and inaugurate the new premises of Dhaka Central Jail,” said Syed Iftekhar Uddin, inspector general of prisons.
He said there is a possibility of the inauguration to take place in January.
After the new prison is inaugurated, the prisoners from the current location will be gradually transferred to the new location, he added.
The newly-built prison, located some 100 metres away from the Dhaka-Mawa Highway, has been constructed on 194 acres of land allocated by the government. It has two big units, each with the capacity to accommodate 4,500 male prisoners. There is also a smaller unit for female prisoners that can house 200 prisoners, which is still under construction.
There are eight six-storey buildings, six of which are for housing prisoners under trial, and two for convicted criminals. Two of the buildings are still under construction.
There are also four high-security wings to house militants and high-risk criminals, a unit for juvenile prisoners and a VIP cell.
There are accommodation facilities for prison guards and officials with families, as well as a barrack with the capacity of housing some 400 personnel without families.
The new jail also includes a solar power plant, a mosque, a school, a park and work facilities for the prisoners. Construction of the school and and the park, which is to be built just outside the jail boundary, has yet to start due to land dispute. Prison authorities are hoping that the dispute will be resolved soon.
Meanwhile, amid allegations of raging corruption inside the prison, Inspector general of Prisons Iftekhar said some of the allegations were, indeed, true.
“The reports published in newspapers are partially true. We have found that some prison guards have been involved in corruption centring Dhaka Central Jail. They may be few in number, but they have still damaged the reputation of the entire force,” he said.
He said the prison authorities are taking steps to keep the corruption at a minimum, adding that moving to the new location will help curb the illegal activities to some extent.
