JAIPUR: Construction of boundary wall of Jajpur sub-jail, which had collapsed on Friday night, began on Monday after its 156 UTPs were shifted to Ragadi sub-jail under Korei block. The boundary wall of the century-old jail was already weak and heavy rain for the last few days only loosened the structure leading to its collapse.
The UTPs - 148 males and eight females and an infant - were transferred under high security cover. Additional Director General of Prisons Binod Kumar Jha accompanied by Jajpur Collector Ranjan Kumar Das and SP Charan Singh Meena visited the site to take stock of the situation.
The Jajpur sub-jail was overcrowded with 349 UTPs against the capacity of 195. After shifting of the inmates, their number has come down to 193. The sub-jail and its boundary wall were constructed in 1912. The height of the boundary wall, which stands at 70 feet now, was increased in 2012 due to security reasons after a road was laid beside the jail. As the wall was already weak, raising the height further weakened it.
The incident occurred at around 2 am when the inmates were sleeping in a hall inside the jail due to which their lives were saved. A few toilets of the jail located near the boundary wall were damaged but no casualty or injury to the prisoners was reported.