A batch of 50 prisoners was moved from Tihar to the new Mandoli Jail on Thursday, over eight years after the construction of the prison began.
The relocation of these prisoners effectively marked the beginning of operations at the new prison, that saw several deadlines being breached over the last couple of years.
Sudhir Yadav, the Director General of Prisons, said only a small group of prisoners, all convicts, was shifted so that the efficacy of the new prison can be checked.
“If there is no trouble, we may shift another small batch of prisoners next week. By early November, we hope to move a maximum of 500 prisoners from Tihar to Mandoli Jail,” added Mr. Yadav.
Of the six prisons at Mandoli Jail, located in east Delhi, only one is absolutely ready for operations. The other five jails either require certain clearances from the Public Works Department or have to be modified as per the PWD’s recommendations.
“Once all six jails are ready, we will shift over 3,700 inmates from Tihar and Rohini jails. We hope to complete this process by March next year,” said another jail officer.
Spread over 68 acres, the jail is mandated to accommodate 3,776 prisoners. Once occupied, it will greatly reduce the burden on the two prisons. Tihar Jail, for example, accommodates over double its capacity of prisoners. This results in an increased number of clashes among prisoners.
The focus over the next week, jail officials said, will be to analyse the problems the new jail may throw up. These problems will be studied and worked on before the next batch of prisoners is relocated.
The outer security of the new jail will be managed by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).
The internal security will be the responsibility of the Tamil Nadu Special Police and the jail staff. Eight hundred personnel will look after the security arrangements at Mandoli.
800 security personnel will look after the security arrangements at Mandoli Jail
