PANJIM: A separate prison cell at Colvale Central Jail has been readied to accommodate persons arrested in drug-related offences as the Public Works Department (PWD) is formally handing over six blocks to the Prisons Department on Tuesday.
The partial completion of the state-of the-art jail comprises a cell to house around 50 narcotics prisoners, two barracks, a kitchen to cater to 1000-odd prisoners, reception centre and a 15-bedded hospital.
The handing over was scheduled for Monday but was delayed by one day.
“The blocks will be handed over to Prisons Department once the concerned officer signs the documents on Tuesday. The Prisons Department can commission it with immediate effect as we have completed all the work required in each of the cells,” a PWD officer told Herald.
The Rs 107-crore project, located on the eastern side of NH-17 on the scenic Colvale plateau, will be commissioned only by May-end after several postponements over the past five years. “The work is 90 percent complete,” the officer said.
Once ready, the inmates at Aguada Central Jail, Mapusa judicial lock-up and some from Sada Jail will be shifted to the new one.
The Colvale Jail with 20 blocks can accommodate over 600 prisoners, with a separate facility for women prisoners and latest security surveillance with CCTV cameras.
