Prayagraj district jail awaits 'finishing work' to begin ops

PRAYAGRAJ: Even as UP government plans to set up 20 more jails across the state to check overcrowding, the Prayagraj district jail that was constructed last year is still awaiting finishing work to begin functioning.
"The district jail was even inaugurated online in November 2022 and was scheduled to be operational within the next couple of months. However, till date the work of drainage, STP and accommodation are yet to be completed," a senior jail official preferring anonymity told TOI.
The official added that "Uttar Pradesh Rajkiya Nirman Nigam was entrusted to complete the Prayagraj District Jail. It was designed with a capacity to lodge 2,600 inmates."
"Once the new facility becomes functional, all undertrials of Nani Jail would be transferred/shifted here," the official added.
The Naini jail is currently holding 3,996 inmates as against its capacity of 2,060 prisoners.
Being built at a cost of Rs 176 crore, the new prison coming up near Naini Central Jail is said to have state-of-the-art facilities like advanced equipment, wide-range CCTV network covering barracks, video conferencing hall, automated kitchen and advanced hospital with 140 beds.
When functional, Prayagraj would be the fifth district in the state to have both district and Central jail facilities after Varanasi, Agra, Fatehgarh and Bareilly.
The construction of the jail started about three years back.