Land identified in Salem to construct district prison

The Revenue Department has identified 86 acres at Mallamooppampatti in Salem district to construct a new district prison and has sent a recommendation to the government.

The Salem Central Prison, constructed by the British in 1862 on 113.19 acres, has a jail annex constructed in 1934. The authorised accommodation at the prison is 1,431. A sub-jail came up at Attur in 1901 and it was upgraded as district prison in 2008 with an additional building constructed at ₹1.32 crore. The Attur district prison was handed over to the Revenue Department this year, and it is currently a camp for Bangladeshi prisoners.

The Revenue Department identified 86 acres of land at Mallamooppampatti on Steel Plant Road to develop a district prison, a women’s prison and an open-air prison. The Department has recommended it to the State government for its consent. Works will commence after getting the government approval, said official sources.

Officials attached to Tamil Nadu Prisons and Correctional Department said the Prison Director General of Police (DGP), Inspector General of Police (IG) and Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) inspected the identified land .

They pointed out that three acres of the Attur district prison and four acres of the Central prison would be with the Revenue Department for the camp for Bangladeshi prisoners and a district library respectively. Similarly, the women’s prison before the central prison (two acres) and open-air prison (10.45 acres at Jahir Ammapalayam) will also be transferred to the Revenue Department.

The prison officials added that the plan was to construct a new district prison on 25 acres, a women’s prison on 15 acres and an open-air prison on 10 acres at Mallamooppampatti.