Asia’s biggest jail opens on Nov 15

Staff Correspondent: Construction of the new location of Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj, which will be Asia’s biggest jail, is almost complete.

Jail authorities are hoping that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the jail November 15.

Built over 194.41 acres of land at Rajendrapur in South Keraniganj, the new prison will provide much improved accommodation to the prisoners than the current location in the capital’s Nazimuddin Road, which spans around 17 acres.

The new jail will be fully equipped to house 5,000 including over 200 female prisoners. However, if necessary, the number of male prisoners can be doubled, sources said.

In the newly constructed modern jail, 4,000 barracks have been constructed for male prisoners, 100 for male adolescent prisoners, 30 for male mentally challenged prisoners, 200 for woman prisoners, 40 for female adolescent prisoners, 20 for female mentally challenged prisoners, while 60 classified wards and 400 cells have been constructed for dangerous prisoners.

A 20-bed capacity hospital, a modern hospital with 200-bed capacity and a day care centre has been set up at the new central jail.

The project of shifting of the old central jail to Keraniganj was approved in the ECNEC meeting in 2006, and the construction began in 2011.

Risingbd/Oct 31, 2015/Jisan/ Mukul