Overcrowding In Yerwada Central Prison: Home Department Instructs Police Housing Corporation To Prepare Proposal For New Building

Yerawada Central Jail, originally designed for 2,323 inmates across 30 barracks, is currently grappling with severe overcrowding as it houses over 6,000 prisoners.

In response to this dire situation, the Public Works Department (PWD) had proposed a new jail building to the Maharashtra government to temporarily house 3,000 prisoners at a projected cost of ₹175 crore. However, the home department has now instructed the Police Housing Corporation to prepare a new proposal for a new jail building, rejecting the one from the PWD.

The initial PWD proposal included an administrative building with a ground and first floor, along with the office of the senior jail officer. The central area was to have a central kitchen, mill, two barracks, a grain warehouse, a hospital, a laboratory, a medicine room, a medical officer's room, an interview room with 50 windows, a library, a waiting room, and thirty high-security rooms for hardened criminals.

Yerwada Central Jail is currently divided into barracks, housing various categories of inmates, including those sentenced to death, sick prisoners, senior citizens, and foreign prisoners. A significant portion of the population consists of temporarily incarcerated prisoners, leading to the proposal for a dedicated facility to address their needs.

Severe overcrowding at Yerawada Central Jail is a pressing concern, and the construction of the proposed facility is eagerly awaited to alleviate the current crisis and improve living conditions for inmates.