UDAYAPUR, Nov 4: Udayapur Prison is holding nearly four times as many inmates as its capacity, with 232 prisoners and detainees confined in a dilapidated building designed to accommodate just 60 people.
According to prison administrator Baikuntha Raj Regmi, the prison building, constructed four decades ago, has a capacity of 50 male and 10 female inmates. However, it currently houses 218 men and 14 women.
The overcrowding has created serious difficulties for inmates, including problems with eating, accommodation, sleeping and access to toilets, Regmi said. The cramped building, weak and deteriorating structures, and leaking roofs during the monsoon have also left inmates vulnerable to illness. Inmates are particularly prone to falling sick during extreme summer heat and winter cold, he added.
Due to the lack of adequate space and facilities, more than half a dozen ailing inmates were recently transferred to Kathmandu. Seven elderly inmates and those suffering from chronic illnesses have been relocated, Regmi said.
Overcrowded prison making life difficult for inmates
He said elderly inmates and those with long-term illnesses face particularly difficult conditions during extreme weather because of overcrowding and the poor state of the building.
“If we keep them here, they could fall ill during winter and may even die. That is why I transferred them to Kathmandu,” Regmi said.
The prison administration has long been forced to keep inmates in the deteriorating old building, parts of which have already collapsed, due to the lack of a new facility.
Regmi said the administration had been seeking a budget for a new building for more than a decade and had already prepared and secured approval for a detailed project report (DPR). However, the required funding was not provided.
Although the plan to construct a new building was approved in Fiscal Year (FY) 2014/15, the budget was withheld, with the authorities citing the 2015 earthquake and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019 as reasons, he said.
After years of repeated efforts, the government has finally ensured funding for a new prison building in the current fiscal year. However, the tendering process for the project, which is to be implemented through the Urban Development and Building Construction Project Office in Saptari, has yet to move forward, Regmi said.
The prison building is extremely old and dilapidated, posing a risk of collapse at any time. Sections of its walls have already crumbled. The old structure was built using traditional construction methods, with wooden supports and planks used for the roof slab, while the boundary walls are also weak.
The administration has warned that a collapse could result in an enormous loss of life, underscoring the urgent need to construct a new building.
Meanwhile, the government built a separate administrative building for the prison a decade ago. The two-storey building, which has seven rooms, was completed in FY 2013/14. It has made it easier for staff to carry out administrative work and provided residential facilities for the office chief.
Udayapur Prison is holding 232 inmates in a facility designed for just 60, with overcrowding and deteriorating infrastructure posing serious risks to their health and safety.
