Chief Jailer Sarlahi prision, Anikal Kumar Acharya said that the new buildings will be constructed shortly. [break]
The Division Office of Department of Urban Development and Building Construction in the district, which is to construct the new building, informed it will take more than four years to complete the project.
Cracks have developed everywhere on the walls and roof of the existing buildings, and the prisoners have been complaining that debris fall down from the roof upon them every now and then.
According to Acharya, the walls developed cracks following a raid by then Maoist rebels during the decade-long insurgency. And, a strong earthquake on Septemper 18, 2011, badly damaged the roof.
The Division Office of Department of Urban Development and Building Construction in the district had lately started the repair and maintenance of the building, but it soon realized that the district prison was beyond repair.
“Now they are making necessary preparation to erect a new prison building,” said Chief District Officer Dinesh Ghimire. “The Division Office will soon demolish the existing structure.”
Even though the existing prison building is meant to accommodate up to 75 prisoners, more than 180 inmates have been crammed in the building lately.
“As the new building has to be constructed by demolishing the existing one, the inmates have to be relocated elsewhere. But we are yet to find a proper place to relocate them,” said Ghimire.
According to Rabindra Bahadur Dhanuk, a Deputy Superintendent of Police at the District Police Office, the concerned authorities of Mahottari and Dhanusha districts are reluctant to accommodate the inmates from Sarlahi District Prison as the prisons there, too, are already overcrowded.
The inmates in the Sarlahi District Prison also don´t want to be transferred to other places, fearing that they will not get a chance to meet with their family members readily.
DSP Dhanuk further said that the District Police Office is facing difficulties to present the prisoners to the district court as many inmates have been already been settled in prisons in other districts.
CDO Ghimire added that the district administration was looking for a temporary settlement to house the prisoners of the district prison.
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