SAMBALPUR: The Sambalpur Circle Jail is all set to increase its capacity by adding four new wards which will raise intake by 100 prisoners. Currently, the capacity of the Sambalpur Circle Jail is 604 and with the construction of the new wards, the capacity will increase to 704.
Official sources said there are 829 inmates at present. Of the total, 100 are convicts while the remaining are under-trial prisoners.
"The construction work of the 4 new wards is going on in full swing and the wards will be ready soon," said jailor Santosh Kumar Barik.
The jail, which was set up in the late 1800s and is spread over 27
acres of land, has 18 wards. However, it remains overcrowded all the time, making it difficult for both jail authorities and inmates owing to space constraints. During the Covid-19 crisis, the jail authorities had to shift many inmates to other prisons to decongest the Sambalpur Circle Jail. With the construction of four new wards, the space shortage issue will be resolved to some extent.
"Earlier, the capacity of Sambalpur Circle Jail was 541. It was increased to 604. Now, the current expansion will help resolve a long-standing problem of space," a jail official said.
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