Maharashtra to bolster prison security with new watchtowers and major infrastructure upgrades
The Maharashtra government has cleared a series of prison infrastructure upgrades, including the construction of four new watchtowers at Mumbai’s Arthur Road Jail, in a bid to tighten security and improve correctional facilities across the state.
The watchtowers, set to be built at a cost of Rs 1.21 crore, aim to improve surveillance around the ageing jail, officially known as Mumbai Central Prison. Located in the densely populated Jacob Circle area, the jail has long faced security challenges, including the risk of escapes and smuggling of contraband thrown in from nearby buildings.
A government resolution issued on Tuesday cited mounting concerns over the prison’s proximity to slums and the recent growth of high-rises in the area. A state-appointed committee had in 2015 flagged the slum encroachments as a serious security concern and recommended their removal, but no action followed. Plans to strengthen the jail’s perimeter had remained stalled for years.
In addition to the watchtowers, the government has sanctioned Rs 2.80 crore for a 2,800-sqft multipurpose hall within Arthur Road Jail to facilitate educational, recreational and rehabilitation programmes. “We didn’t have a proper hall to conduct rehabilitation or entertainment activities. This new space will finally allow us to begin these processes,” a senior jail official told Hindustan Times. The jail, built for 804 inmates, currently holds more than 2,500 prisoners.
Elsewhere in Mumbai, Byculla Jail—home primarily to women inmates—will receive Rs 1.77 crore for a new administrative office and a dedicated visitation hall. An additional Rs 2.8 crore has been earmarked for a new kitchen and godown within the same facility.
Thane Jail will see an expansion of barracks for women prisoners with an allocation of Rs 1.32 crore. In Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Harsul Central Jail is set to receive Rs 12.14 crore for the construction of an open jail designed to accommodate 100 inmates, including a dedicated unit for transgender prisoners.
Plans for two more open jails are also in motion. In Akola, an all-women open prison is being developed at a cost of Rs 11.90 crore, while Kolhapur will see the construction of a new facility with a capacity for 150 inmates, sanctioned at Rs 14.25 crore.
The wide-ranging upgrades signal a significant policy shift towards improving both security and rehabilitation infrastructure across the state’s prison network.