State approves relocation of Thane and Nagpur jails

Thane jail to a 50-acre plot is Pise village in Bhiwandi and the Nagpur jail to a 180-acre plot at Chincholi village

MUMBAI: Two central jails in Thane and Nagpur will soon be relocated to remote areas to make way for the redevelopment of the buildings and other development projects. The state government has decided to move the Thane jail to a 50-acre plot at Amanegaon in Bhiwandi and the Nagpur jail to a 180-acre plot at Chincholi village, which is over 20 km away from its existing location.

Thane Central Jail in Thane (Photo by Praful Gangurde/ Hindustan Times) (HT PHOTO)

After chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde gave the go-ahead to shift the two jails a week ago, the home department has now begun the process of shifting the jails by ensuring appropriate land of more than 70 acres are used to construct the new jails, as per the new norms, keeping in view the rising number of inmates.

According to officials from the home department, the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) has proposed setting up a museum at the Thane jail, which is situated within an over 290-year-old fort. “It is a heritage structure on an over 20-acre plot, so it cannot be demolished, and a new structure cannot be planned there. The local administration has offered us a 50-acre plot in Pise village in Bhiwandi. We have asked for an additional 22 acres to construct a modern jail, as per the new norms finalised by the Centre government. Between the departments, the handing over of the plots – the existing one and the new offer for the jail – will take at least a year, before the actual construction begins,” the official said.

The Nagpur jail has been proposed for shifting to make way for a beautification project. “Revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, who is also the guardian minister of Nagpur, recently held a meeting in Mantralaya and has offered the 80-acre land at the outskirts of Nagpur city,” said another prison department officer.

According to officials from the Mantralaya, while development projects are a goal, the proposal to shift the jails is more important to make way for the redevelopment of the buildings around them. “No building construction can come up within 150 meters of the jail’s outer walls and an additional 20 metres needs to be maintained as a buffer zone. The Thane jail is surrounded by illegal structures, with proposals of high rises on the plots directly brought for approval without even seeking the home department’s approval,” the officer said.

Radhika Rastogi, additional chief secretary (prisons), said the proposals are being positively considered by the department. “The proposals for the shifting of the two jails have been moved and will be approved in due course. The local body has proposed a museum at Thane jail without changing the structure,” she said.

Sixty jails, including nine central jails and 19 open jails, are overcrowded with 40,300 inmates against the capacity of 27,000.