Bhubaneswar: In a fresh move intended to reform prison administration in the state, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday laid the foundation stone of a new model prison at Jamujhari on the outskirts of the city.
Naveen said that this is an important occasion which marks the beginning of a new era for the jail administration.
He said, “Prisons play a very important role in our criminal justice system not only by incarcerating criminals, but also by providing inmates the opportunity to reform, learn, and reintegrate them into society as productive and law-abiding citizens. Performs.”
He further pointed out that aging and overcrowded prison facilities provide limited scope for improvement and hinder efforts to provide a humane and safe environment for prisoners.
“The new model jail at Jamujhari in Bhubaneswar has been designed to address these concerns. It will be fully automated with many such features including state-of-the-art security features, IP-based monitoring, e-court rooms, multiple VC facilities,” he said.
The prison, to which the existing Jharpara facility is expected to be shifted, will be a future prison under the 5T initiative of the Odisha government. Sources said that its master plan has been prepared after a lot of research and study of various jails. According to the government, the model jail will be an eco-friendly jail with net-zero carbon emissions and zero discharge facility. There will be separate wards for each category of prisoners. Furthermore, the model prison will provide inmates with significantly better living conditions, easier access to essential health care and educational resources.
“We believe that the war on crime can be best fought by promoting reform and rehabilitation. I am hopeful that this model will provide ample opportunities to the prisoners to become productive members of the society after prison release,” Naveen said.
5T and Nabin Odisha President VK Pandian, Minister of State for Home Tusharkanti Behera and other dignitaries were present during the foundation stone laying ceremony.
