The upcoming jail in Ludhiana district will specifically house high-risk prisoners,the area up to 50 meters around the outer boundary wall of the prison will be declared a prohibited zone
The Punjab government has begun the process of establishing a high-security “radial jail,” the first of its kind in the state, designed to house terrorists, high-risk prisoners, notorious gangsters, and hardcore criminals. This new Central jail will be located in Gorsian Kadar Baksh village in Ludhiana district, covering an area of 50 acres and costing Rs 100 crore. It will have the capacity to accommodate 300 prisoners. The construction of this facility was announced by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in June of last year.
A government official confirmed that the tender for the jail’s construction has already been issued, with the aim of completing the project as soon as possible. The entire funding for the jail will be provided by the Central government.
An official involved in the project explained that the jail would feature “radial” blocks of cells, allowing staff to monitor prisoners more effectively. The design is inspired by the British colonial “Cellular Jail,” also known as Kala Pani, located in Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. This notorious prison had solitary confinement cells arranged in blocks radiating from a central watchtower.
“The whole prison shall be made as a cellular prison and will be divided into various zones as per functional requirement, to avoid inter-mixing of similar gangs and confrontation of anti-gangs and curtail their movement,” said a jail department official, dismissing comparisons to the notorious Kala Pani jail and its negative connotations.
The upcoming jail in Ludhiana district will specifically house high-risk prisoners. The area up to 50 meters around the outer boundary wall of the prison will be declared a prohibited zone to prevent the smuggling of prohibited items into the jail, a persistent issue for the state prison department.
Another key feature of the new jail will be a dedicated court complex and video conferencing infrastructure for hearings within the facility. This measure aims to reduce the need to transport prisoners outside the jail for court appearances, thereby minimizing escape attempts. Additionally, in-house hospital facilities will be provided to avoid the movement of prisoners outside the prison for medical treatment.
“All the major as well as potentially vulnerable high-risk prisoners will be transferred and lodged in this prison,” the official added.
