BARDIBAS, July 15: Prisoners have been left reeling after the district prison has been waterlogged following incessant rains since the past six days. The ground floor of the prison building is five feet in water, forcing the inmates to shift to the upper floors.
As a result, the upper floors have been crammed with prisoners due to lack of enough space, said a prison officer. And there have been difficulties to manage accommodation and food for them.
Taplejung Jail overcrowded with 145 prisoners in facility for 2...
"We did not have enough food and sleep from the past six days. We are having a hard time here," said a prisoner. Waterlogging has added woes to the overcrowded prison.
Built-in 1913 BS, the prison has 528 inmates at present against its capacity for only 135. "The jail is already under pressure of large number of inmates. Continuous rains since five days have left everything to halt. There is no dry area left," said jailor Makasudhan Mahaseth.
Besides, the 163 years old prison has been in a sorry state without timely maintenance. Bricks falling from the dilapidated building always pose risk, said a prisoner.
Likewise, the prison lacks enough water taps and toilets, forcing the jailbirds to wait for hours to get their turn. Ajaya Kumar Shah, district representative of the Informal Sector Service Centre, has drawn the attention of the government to the sorry state of the prison building and managing proper accommodation, food and medical treatment for the prisoners.
