To ease overcrowding, UP cabinet clears construction of 5 new jails

Lucknow: In a decision aimed at strengthening prison infrastructure and addressing chronic overcrowding in jails, the Uttar Pradesh cabinet on Wednesday approved the construction of five new district jails in Moradabad, Kanpur Nagar, Auraiya, Lalitpur and Bhadohi at a combined estimated cost of over Rs 1,466 crore.

The projects, cleared on the recommendation of the Expenditure Finance Committee, will add capacity for 6,212 inmates across the state and are part of the govt’s broader prison modernisation and expansion programme.

The largest project approved is the construction of a 2,030-capacity district jail in Kanpur Nagar at a cost of Rs 384.05 crore. The new prison will be built on 120.85 acres of land acquired in Narwal tehsil. The existing Kanpur District Jail, located in the heart of the city, has long suffered from severe overcrowding, housing between 2,000 and 2,900 inmates against its sanctioned capacity of 1,245 during the past five years.

The cabinet also approved a 2,000-capacity district jail in Moradabad at a cost of Rs 386.91 crore. The facility will be constructed on 97.15 acres of land in Sirsakheda village. The existing Moradabad jail, with a capacity of 906 inmates, housed as many as 3,721 prisoners in 2023, highlighting the urgent need for additional infrastructure.

In Auraiya, a new 1,056-capacity district jail will be built at a cost of Rs 264.96 crore on 60.70 acres of land in Sherpur Saraiya village. Currently, inmates from Auraiya are lodged in Etawah district jail and the Central Jail at Etawah, often creating overcrowding issues.

The Cabinet further approved a 552-capacity district jail in Lalitpur costing Rs 225.06 crore and a 574-capacity jail in Bhadohi at Rs 209.18 crore.