Dhenkanal: The 103-year-old district jail here is one of the oldest in Odisha. However, in spite of its historical significance it is one of the worst maintained prisons in the state. The security system in place is defunct and many parts of the building are in dilapidated conditions.
The prison was established 1916 with a capacity of 231 inmates. Now it has 333 prisoners, 102 more than it can hold.
But worst is the security measures implemented in the prison. There are four watch towers from which the movement of the prisoners can be observed. However, these are locked now for a long time and are not manned. It enables prisoners to escape with impunity.
Raking advantage of it on December 13 last year undertrial prisoner Suba Munda escaped by scaling the walls. He is yet to be traced.
Locals alleged that drugs and other contraband materials are available easily within the four walls of the prison. “Drugs, liquor and other addictive materials are smuggled into the prison seamlessly,” said locals. “If one inspects closely empty bottles beer and other hard drinks can be found easily outside the jail boundary,” they added.
This information have emerged after the arrest of Bairagi Behera, who was the brain behind the murder of Purna Chandra Behera, a resident of Dolamandap Sahi. Incidentally Bairagi turned warden inside the jail and was the brain behind such nefarious activities.
The prison is also suffering due lack of staff. The superintendent of the Dhenkanal prison has been transferred some time back. The position is yet to be filled up and hence the additional jail superintendent has been forced to take extra burden. Out of the 36 posts for wardens, six are lying vacant compounding the problems.
PNN