SHILLONG: The Prison department’s wait for land to construct a new central jail in the city seems to be a never-ending one as it is still looking for a plot of land to construct the jail, which would decongest the existing district jail located at Jail road in the heart of the city.
A department official said that the hunt for land was on and the matter has been already taken up with the government.
The official said that the department is looking for a land at New Shillong Township to construct a modern central jail which can house around 1,000 prisoners with modern facilities.
“Though it is too early, the department wants to create a modern asset with different facilities like training centre etc, which can cater for the next 100 years,” the official said.
It is learnt that the Urban Affairs department had earlier refused to provide land to construct a central jail at Mawdiangdiang citing non-availability of land there.
The government has released about 400 inmates from all the five district jails ever since the pandemic hit the state in its bid to decongest the prisons.
As on July 31, the number of inmates in the five district jails was 899.
Earlier, the state government had sanctioned Rs 8.46 crore for the proposed extension of the Shillong jail and the PWD (Buildings) has completed the tendering process.
The inmates from West Khasi Hills and South West Khasi Hills will be shifted from Shillong jail to Nongstoin district jail, once it is completed.
Meanwhile, the Prison department is still awaiting the Nongstoin district jail to be handed over to them by the PWD (Buildings).
The project has been delayed for over a decade and is still far from completion and recently, the government sanctioned Rs 27.60 crore for the construction of the new district jail at Nongstoin, West Khasi Hills.