Lucknow jail is history

LUCKNOW: Over 40 powerful bulldozersand JCB machines turned the century-old historical Lucknow Jail into historylate on Sunday night. After a five-hour operation, what all was left was a195-acre swathe of land where a sparkling eco-park would come upsoon.Incidentally, The Times of India had on September 14 carried astory on its front page describing how prisoners from the old jail building wereshifted in a hurry on Sunday to the new jail premises, 25 kilometres from thecity on Mohanlalganj-Gosainganj road. It was also mentioned that the demolitionwork of the old jail was to be completed before daybreak on Monday. Thedemolition started soon after midnight on Sunday. A battery of 40-oddbulldozers, backed by hydraulic loaders and a fleet of trucks to carry thedebris, started off full-throttle under heavy police cover to keep away theunwanted, particularly the media. By daybreak, the historical jail building wasnowhere to be seen. The jail once not only housed all the 40 revolutionaries ofKakori train dacoity case during their trial between 1925 and 1927, but alsohosted India���s first prime minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru for 42 days in1941. Besides, over 1,500 freedom-fighters too spent time here during thefreedom struggle.For the residents of localities dotting the jailcomplex, it was a troublesome night. The sound of bulldozers and crumblingconcrete structure kept them tossing in their beds for the better part of thenight. ������How can anyone sleep with so much of noise. The impact ofthe falling debris was at times so strong that it almost shook the floor underthe bed,������ said Amitabh Shukla of Kailashpuri colony, situated rightat the rear boundary of the jail.