Kathmandu, March 9

The Department of Prison Management has stepped up upgradation of prisons across the country.

An official at the DoPM said a women’s prison was recently completed and brought into operation in Jhumka of Sunsari and construction of men’s prison had been initiated in Bhimphedi, Makwanpur.

Similarly, new buildings have been constructed for Sankhuwasabha and Dhankuta prisons.

A women’s block is under construction in Lalitpur-based Nakkhu Jail and prisons in Dhading, Chitwan, Dang, Rasuwa, Jagannath Dewal (Kathmandu) are being upgraded, while 54 prisons damaged in the earthquakes last year are being repaired.

According to the DoPM, the government is also moving ahead with the process of adopting ‘open prison policy’ to ease the pressure of jailbirds in the already overcrowded prisons and to turn the prisons into correction centres as per the Prison Act, 1963.

“We have already acquired around 535 ropanis of land in Banke for the construction of open prison with the capacity of over 5,000 persons. Currently, we are evaluating tenders from interested companies,” he informed.

The department is also going to make special arrangements to put jailbirds convicted of heinous crimes under special surveillance as such inmates were found operating criminal network from the jails.

A process would be initiated to keep all notorious criminals in Bhimphedi Prison in Makawanpur after developing it as a high security prison.

Crimes including rape, murder, corruption, jailbreak, evasion of customs, abduction and hostage-taking, drug smuggling, proliferation of arms and ammunition, banking offence, human trafficking, and trading in body parts of endangered wild animals and objects of archaeological significance are listed as heinous crimes.

The upgradation of existing prison buildings and construction of new ones will ease the pressure on the already overcrowded prisons, the official said.