The New Nation - Internet Edition

Rafiqul Islam Azad

The prisoners in Chittagong Central Jail are living a sub-human life due to accommodation problem while human rights are also being violated there.

Though the government has recently constructed 6 new barracks for prisoners and detainees and carried out modernisation and extension work it did not sufficiently solve it.

The newly constructed barracks, expected to be handed over to the jail authority by next month, would enable the prison to accommodate half of the existing prisoners.

Sources in the Chittagong Central Jail, which was established in 1885 and turned into a central jail in 1999, said the present number of prisoners and detainees is 6,468 that is four time more than its capacity of 1,507. After completion of the ongoing modernisation and extension work, the accommodation capacity of the prison would increase to 3,000.

Talking to reporters, who recently visited the jail, Senior Superintendent of the Chittagong Central Jail Ataur Rahman said the suffering of the prisoners would largely reduce after completion of the work.

He said the further extension work would be completed by 2010 enhancing the accommodation capacity to 5,000. The Jail Super appreciated the architectural design of the newly constructed buildings saying that it will be the second best after Kashimpur Central Jail in Gazipur.

The Ministry of Home Affairs had taken the project to modernise and extend the Chittagong Central Jail in 1998.

The project is being implemented by Department of Public Works in three phases at a cost of Tk 55.48 crore.

Chief Engineer of Department of Public Works Abdullah Al Shafi told reporters that under the project all modern facilities have been kept for the prisoners.

After completion of the project, the Chittagong Central Jail will be recognised as one of the modern jails in the country, he said.

Superintendent Engineer of Chittagong Public Works Circle-1 Kazi Golam Mortuza hoped that the work of the project would be completed by June 2010.

We have been trying to maintain the quality of the construction work, he said.

The under construction buildings in the second phase include a residential building with three units, DIG Prison office, administrative building, three-storey visitors' building, godown, female barrack, female cell and 100-bed hospital inside the jail.

He said after completion of the project with modern facilities, all prisoners and detainees would be shifted to the new buildings and the old one will be demolished.

The process to invite tender to demolish the old prison and construct more new buildings will be started by the end of March, he said.