120-year-old jail to be shifted soon

With this, the prisoners at the old jail will be shifted to the new building, which is partially completed at Ramanahalli-Rathnagiri near Bore on Saturday or Monday, said the jail in-charge Thallur.

Shifting of the 120-year-old jail has become inevitable as district administration has taken up the IG Road widening works. Town Municipal Council has plans of demolishing the old structure and putting up a complex in the same place.

At present there are 150 men and 5 women prisoners. The works of separate barrack for women at Ramanahalli jail is not yet completed. Hence all the women prisoners have been taken to Hasan jail and they are produced to the court from Hasan itself.

The new structure has capacity for 300 inmates. Works of 4 barracks which can accommodate 70 persons each have been completed but the administrative office, kitchen, training centre and clinics are yet to be completed. Hence it has been decided to put up make shift walls in the constructed barracks and accommodated all of these services on temporary basis.

History

The jail was built by the British in 1890 and when the Freedom Struggle was at its peak in 1940s, freedom fighters in large numbers were imprisoned here. Thalakere Subramanya, K C Reddy, C M S Shastry, Shivananda, Nirvanappa, T R Shankarappa, S Annappa Shetty and various other freedom fighters were punished and imprisoned here.

Government had started the new jail construction work in 1982 at an estimated cost of Rs 50 lakh, away from the city.  Unfortunately the works could not be continued and completed due to delay in release of funds. Now, the estimated cost as reached about Rs 110 lakh.

Sources in the PWD said that the tender will be floated as soon as the Department releases the amount.  The government has sanctioned Rs 180 lakh required for the construction of the building and the same is to be approved by the Finance Department.

There are various plans lined up for utilisation of old jail building. Children’s park, museum, open air theatre, shopping complex with parking area are some of the plans that are being thought over.