Our Correspondent
SYLHET, Aug 27: The much-talked about move to shift the 200-year old Sylhet Central Jail to its new location in the suburban Badaghat area from the main city would take place in a month.
The Finance Minister on Tuesday last visited the site and asked the officials for an early make over.
An official in the Public Works Department (PWD) said works are almost completed and it would be hand over to the jail authority soon.
He said for some unavoidable reasons and contractors' negligence, things had been delayed time and again. Prolonged and excess rains had also disrupted the works.
However, initially it was Tk 1,970 million project, but the expense had to be raised to Tk 2,260 million due to several delays and cost escalation, sources informed.
Officials in the PWD and Sylhet Central Jail said the new jail would be of 2000-men capacity. Works on the under construction buildings got a speedy way after the finance minister, also the lawmaker from Sylhet Sadar ordered for quick completion of the long-awaited project, which had already been delayed several times for reasons.
The existing Sylhet central Jail was established on 24.67 acres of land at the city's central area Dhopadighirpar in 1789 when the Sylhet region was part of Assam.
Now to meet the present day's demand it is being shifted on a bigger space with sufficient accommodation after 227 years from the city areas. It would have some modern facilities on all the establishments.
The existing jail buildings with 800-men capacity always remained over burdened accommodating about 2500 people, sources informed.
Considering the situation, the ECNEC passed the project in 2010 and accordingly its foundation was laid on August 11, 2011 on the 30-acre site at Badaghat.
Although it was scheduled to be completed by 2015, new deadline was reset for June 2016.
But even then, the PWD failed and was given another year till June 2017.
Last of all, the Finance Minister at a meeting in middle of 2017 asked for completing everything by the end of 2017 and to shift it by December. It had also been failed.
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