SHILLONG: A central jail in the city is a distant dream with the Prisons Department still struggling to find land.
An official said the department has been trying to identify a plot for a long time but has been unsuccessful so far. It has already written to the state government on this.
The Urban Affairs Department had earlier refused to provide land for the central jail at Mawdiangdiang citing unavailability of plots.
A central jail becomes necessary to decongest the district prison on Jail Road in the heart of the city.
The congestion can be further reduced if the proposed district jail in Nongstoin is complete. Many prisoners from West Khasi Hills are lodged in the Shillong district jail.
The state government had earmarked Rs 6.25 crore on December 20, 2003, for the construction of the Nongstoin district jail on a plot of 10.35 acres at Photkynthei and it was scheduled to be completed in five years but the work was delayed.
