Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 21 Jul: To tackle the growing problem of overcrowding in jails, the Uttarakhand government has decided to build new prisons in Rudraprayag and Uttarkashi districts. This comes after earlier announcements of new jails in Pithoragarh and Champawat.
At present, there are 11 jails in the state, including one open jail. These jails have the capacity to hold 3,541 prisoners, but more than 5,521 inmates are currently in the jails. This means almost 2,000 extra prisoners are living in overcrowded conditions.
The 11 jails in the state include a Central Jail in Sitarganj; seven District Jails in Dehradun, Haridwar, Nainital, Almora, Tehri, Chamoli, and Pauri; two Sub-Jails in Haldwani and Roorkee; one Open Jail named Sampurnanand Camp Jail in Sitarganj.
According to ADG (Jails) Abhinav Kumar, the Pithoragarh jail will begin functioning soon, and construction in Champawat will begin after the rainy season. He also stated that proposals have been prepared for building new jails in Rudraprayag and Uttarkashi to reduce the pressure on existing jails.
He added that overcrowding in jails is not only a safety risk but also creates problems in the rehabilitation of prisoners. That is why constructing new jails is now one of the top priorities of the state government.
