While the Meghalaya government has been advocating social distancing in order to safeguard from Covid-19, the District Jail in Shillong is overcrowded up to three times its capacity. The present capacity of the Shillong District Jail is for 175 inmates and about 464 inmates are currently housed in the complex.
“For long-term, we are looking at the completion of Nongstoin prison and also setting up of central jail. Apart from that I don’t see any other way out to decongest the jail as these are only two options left,” said Mariahom Kharkrang, Inspector General (Prisons).
“Presently, there are 464 inmates in Shillong District Jail — 448 are males and 16 females — while 175 is the official capacity,” Kharkrang added.
The jail was established in 1897 on 5.5 acres. It caters to UTPs from the East Khasi Hills, West Khasi Hills and South West Khasi Hills districts.
To avoid congestion, the state government is planning to complete the construction of Nongstoin District Jail and also planning to set up a Central Prison.
Asked about Nongstoin prison, he said, “Nongstoin jail is 60 percent completed. A lot of things are yet to be done.”
Meghalaya now has five functional jails – in Shillong, East Khasi Hills, Tura, West Garo Hills, Williamnagar, East Garo Hills and Jowai, West Jaintia Hills.
“Everything has been done; we are just waiting for the land to be handed over to us. Once it is handed over to us, we will ask the PWD to make the master plan and once the master plan is made, things will start,” he said.
“It’s a very big project, so I don’t see that we will be able to move in so early, at the earliest maybe it will take about 3 to 4 years,” he added.
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