The Nagapattinam sub jail is being restructured and constructed into a district jail within the District Court premises here.
The project conceived as a part of the Modernisation of Prison Administration project in 2005, envisaged conversion of selected sub jails into district jails. This was sanctioned with a Central government's financial component of Rs. 9.13 crore for conversion of sub jails into district jails in selected districts. Here in Nagapattinam, the sub jail construction project is under way at a cost of Rs. 159.5 lakh, under the Public Works Department.
The jail structure entails ten dormitories slated for male prisoners, five each on the ground floor and the first floor to house over 200 prisoners. Each dorm to hold 20 prisoners, hosts a toilet and bath space at the left most corner, separated by a small partition. Besides this, the structure also hosts a separate toilet and bath block, with 12 toilets and eight bathrooms each on the two floors. The dormitories are spacious with a 4.5 meter-high ceiling, and Kotta stone flooring has replaced the earlier granolithic floors. The new structure with two floors has been spread over area of 723 sq.meters.
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The ground floor hosts a sick room, with an adjoining room for a medical officer along with a separate room for a nurse. Further, a separate gas room, a kitchen and a store room have been constructed. The ground floor and the first floor houses the jailer's cabin and a spacious room for Jail Superintendent respectively. A fencing wall on lines of the Puzhal Prison is being envisaged at a cost of Rs.1.32 crore. However, the funds are yet to be cleared. The existing retaining wall in brick masonry was built in several stages, rendering a withered structure worn by time today. The proposed retaining wall, when sanctioned, would have reinforced concrete in place of brick masonry works. Similarly, a watch tower at a cost of Rs.32 lakh was proposed in 2009, and the funds are yet to be sanctioned.
The project that was handed over to the PWD in the first quarter of 2008 is slated for completion shortly.