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May
22, 2000
Natore,
May 21 (UNB) – The proposed new district jail is unlikely to be
constructed in near future as fund for the project could not yet be
disbursed due to bureaucratic tangles.
The
government in a bid to cope with the increasing number of prisoners
has decided to construct a new prison in the district and accordingly
acquired 10 acres of land at a cost of Tk 17 lakh in 1995.
Officials
said the land alongside Natore-Pabna highway at Baroharishpur, 3 kms
off the district town, has already been handed over to the Public
Works Department for starting the constriction work.
The
design and estimate of the proposed project was finalised in 1998.
“But still there is no sign of starting the construction works due
to bureaucratic tussle,” said a jail official preferring anonymity.
When
contacted officials at the Public Works Department said the estimate
and design of the project have been revised as prices of construction
materials have steadily gone up in last two years.
“The
new estimate was put forward to the concerned ministry for approval in
1999, but it seems to have been put in shelf,” the official said.
Jail
sources said over 300 inmates are now hurdling together in the
district jail against its capacity of 94 inmates. They are living a
subhuman life in the jail for lack of basic amenities.
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