Realising a long-pending demand of historians and archaeologists, the district jail at the historic Palakkad Fort here will be shifted to a newly constructed building complex at Malampuzha by June end.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the custodian of the medieval fort, has been demanding the shifting of the jail for long. The jail has 186 inmates at present apart from a staff strength of 25.
The new jail is in an eight-acre compound provided by the Irrigation Department close to the Malampuzha reservoir. The new facility, which will have a separate block for transgender convicts and accused, is being constructed at a cost of ₹9.75 crore. While the jail is being moved out of the fort complex, the government will have to provide alternative facilities for the taluk supply office, tahsildar office, and an office of land reforms that now function on the complex.
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No concrete steps yet
Despite pressure from historians, there had been no steps so far to shift the offices. After taking over the fort, the ASI had restored most parts of the structure apart from converting it into a major tourism spot.
However, the section that houses the government offices and the jail has remained an eyesore in the absence of restoration works. The offices and the jail had been functioning there since Independence. In the case of the jail, no major renovation had been permitted by the ASI.
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Taking remand prisoners to the jail during night had not been possible on most days as the ASI would close the fort by 8 p.m.
The police had to wait outside with the remand prisoner till the gates reopened the next day.
The new jail at Malampuzha will have 64 staff and better facilities. It can accommodate 300 inmates at a time. One prison officer will be in charge of six prisoners.
The ASI has plans to initiate restoration works at the jail section of the fort.
Built by the Palakkad Achchans, the local rulers who remained subservient to the Zamorin of Kozhikode, the fort campus has an ancient temple and hundreds of shade trees.
The fort has new facilities, including walkways, seating arrangements, and an amphitheatre. A children’s park and ecofriendly landscaping are also being planned. The ASI’s horticulture wing has started sowing grass seeds to provide a ‘green carpet’. Mango saplings are also being planted.