Illegal land encroachment hampers construction of Dhubri district jail

Dhubri, Aug 2: The construction of the much-needed Dhubri District Jail has hit a roadblock due to illegal encroachment on the allotted land in the Alomganj Pt-IX area. Despite receiving approval from the District Magistrate and recommendation and state, the Inspector General of Prisons, Assam has been unable to take possession of the site and initiate construction due to the presence of encroachers who have illegally occupied the land.

The land, measuring 40B-0K-OL and covered by Dag No-823 of village Alomganj Pt-IX, was officially allotted to the Inspector General of Prisons, Assam, for the construction of the District Jail in Dhubri. The approval came during a meeting held on November 11, 2022. According to official records, the land should have been utilized to build the district jail within three years from the date of possession handover, which was scheduled for January 11, 2023.

However, more than six months have passed since the handover date, and the illegal occupants have not been evicted from the property. The sluggish approach of the district administration has led to the delay, leaving the jail authorities in a state of frustration and uncertainty, claims jail authorities.

Despite being recorded in the name of Dhubri District Jail in official government records like Chitha copy, the land remains beyond the jail authorities' possession due to the encroachment. As a result, the current Dhubri jail complex, designed to accommodate 221 inmates, is severely overcrowded, housing more than 500 detainees, including both men and women.

The limited space within the current jail perimeter hampers its ability to expand and offer essential modern-day correctional facilities. Constructing facilities such as a school, jail hospital, manufactory shed, legal service clinic, video conference room, auditorium, and library for the prisoners is nearly impossible, given the lack of available land.

The Assam government had issued an order to the Inspector General (Prisons) to initiate the groundwork for relocating 13 jails from town areas to outlying regions. This move aimed to ease congestion and improve the overall prison infrastructure. However, the illegal encroachers in Dhubri are challenging the government's order and creating obstacles for the jail authorities, even going to court to oppose the relocation plan.

The stalled construction of the Dhubri District Jail not only poses serious challenges for the region's correctional system but also reflects the failure of the district administration to address this crucial judiciary concern. The delay in resolving the issue of illegal encroachment has raised questions about the government's commitment to ensuring efficient and modern correctional facilities for the inmates. 

As the obstruction continues, the people of Dhubri and the jail authorities remain hopeful that the district administration will take urgent action to evict the illegal occupants and expedite the construction of the much-needed District Jail to alleviate the overcrowding and improve the living conditions of the inmates.