Construction of rural district jail moves at a snail‘s pace in Kozhikode
The Puthuppanam project remained on paper for nearly a decade before gaining momentum earlier this year. Although 60 cents of land has been transferred from the Irrigation department to the Home department and work on the compound wall sanctioned, the new jail is still far from becoming operational.
The construction of Keralam's inaugural rural district jail at Puthuppanam, conceived as a remedy for the persistent issues plaguing the Vadakara Sub-Jail, has been progressing at a painstakingly slow pace. The Puthuppanam project remained dormant for nearly a decade before it began to gather momentum earlier this year. Despite the transfer of 60 cents of land from the Irrigation department to the Home department and the sanction of work on the compound wall, the new jail remains a long way from becoming operational.
Originally envisioned as a replacement for the existing Vadakara Sub-Jail, the project was later transformed into a rural district jail, necessitating alterations to the design and additional administrative clearances. These bureaucratic obstacles have contributed to the project languishing for years. Initially slated as a three-storey jail capable of housing more than 200 inmates, it was also intended to provide facilities for prison staff and segregate inmates involved in drug-related cases.
The project is projected to cost approximately ₹16 crore, as per details unveiled this year. Currently, the construction efforts are centered around the perimeter wall, with this initial phase, including the boundary work, sanctioned at around ₹2.3 crore. However, the full-scale construction of the jail building has yet to commence as per schedule.
This delay is particularly significant for Vadakara, where the existing sub-jail operates under severe space and security limitations. Enclosures designed to accommodate 14 inmates are frequently found to be housing around 20 prisoners at any given time. The presence of the NDPS Court in Vadakara further exacerbates the situation by routinely admitting remand prisoners, thereby placing additional strain on the aging facility.
The new Puthuppanam jail is also anticipated to alleviate the pressure on the Kozhikode District Jail once it becomes operational. The Puthuppanam facility was originally intended to serve as a modern replacement for the existing jail and address its longstanding capacity and security concerns. Meanwhile, prison authorities indicated that the financial constraints leading to the temporary halt in work could be resolved soon. They stated that the matter had already been brought to the notice of the State government.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
