Jaleshwar prison house dilapidated, overcrowded

20 May, kathmandu : Mahottari prison building in Jaleshwar has become dilapidated due to lack of timely maintenance. This prison, which was established back in 1853, is currently 171 years old.

The inmates have complained that the old building is facing risk as the roof is peeling off, the bricks of the wall are disintegrating and the wood beams on the ceiling have started hollowing eaten up by insects and the falling dust is covering the rooms.

Although only 135 jailbirds could be accommodated in the prison, currently more than 500 prisoners are kept there. Chief at the prison (jailer) Ramchandra Sah said that there are more prisoners than the capacity therefore they were failing to manage basic needs to the jail birds. According to him, there are 24 rooms, 15 toilets, seven hand pumps (water taps) for the 594 prisoners in the prison.

There is a problem to sleep, sit and do daily activities in the lack of space. “Managing a large number of prisoners in a room that is about one and a half feet wide is really a problematic matter over here.”

Jailer Sah complained that they were frequently reporting the precarious situation of the prison house and the problem of overcrowding to concerned authorities, but no solution is made so far.