CUTTACK: Odisha’s first model convict prison at Ranibania near Khuntuni in Athagarh is languishing in neglect with only 14 warders available to supervise over 285 inmates.
Sprawling over 27 acre land, the prison was constructed by the Odisha State Police Housing & Welfare Corporation (OPHWC) at a cost of around `15 crore with provision for hospital, school and other facilities including separate dining halls and toilet blocks for male and female prisoners, kitchen complex and 12 special cells for hardcore prisoners.
After lying non-operational for two years, the model jail was inaugurated in June 2021 with a capacity to accommodate 500 prisoners (450 male and 50 female). Apart from the Choudwar Circle Jail, prisoners from the Special Jail in Bhubaneswar and jails from Jajpur, Jagatsinghpur, Bhadrak, Balasore etc., are transferred and brought to this model convict prison from time to time.
At present, the prison houses around 285 inmates. However, the acute shortage of staff has posed a challenge to manage the inmates, majority of whom are hardcore criminals. While the total sanctioned posts for the prison is 24, the 14 warders are making do for the acute staff crunch by working in three shifts on a daily basis.
While one warder is engaged at the gate, one each has been deployed at the hospital and canteen and three others are in charge of the jail inmates. Similarly, a superintendent, an assistant jailor and a sub-assistant jailor are in charge of the model convict jail.
Under such severe staff shortage, the possibility of occurrence of incidents like the Choudwar jailbreak cannot be ruled out. Moreover, the jail is located in the Ranibania reserve forest, around 1 km away from NH-55. Though the road connecting the jail to the national highway is in a good condition, the absence of street lights along the way poses threat of wild animal attack especially wild boars on the jail staff commuting on the route during the nights.
Effort to elicit response from director general of Prisons and Correctional Services Susanta Kumar Nath on the issue proved futile.