Reza Mahmud :Problems have gripped the new central jail at Keraniganj, with inmates suffering from scarcity of foods, drinking water and toilets, sources said. They said, prisoners are facing food crisis due to lack of gas connection in the kitchens. Besides, inadequate sewerage system has led to overflow waste from kitchens and toilets further intensifying the woes of the prisoners. Even the relatives are forced to give bribe to the prison officials for visiting the prisoners. “My uncle is in the prison. He and his inmates are suffering from shortages of foods and water. Visitors are being forced to pay extra money as bribe to get their needs,” Anisul Alam, relative of a prisoner, told The New Nation on Sunday. Visitors also alleged that most of the prison guards involved in such unholy nexus raising questions about the honestly and integrity of the prison authorities.The prison guards are demanding Tk 1,000 to Tk 4,000 from the relatives of the prisoners for the purpose of their visit to a jail inmate.Moreover, the visitors are also suffering from insufficient space for visiting their imprisoned relatives.”The visiting room is very small and only 40 persons can simultaneously meet their imprisoned relatives in the new jail. The visitors and the prisoners often found to be crying after they failed to meet each other due to lack of insufficient space at the visiting room,” Monir Hossain, who visited the jail recently, told The New Nation yesterday. Many had to wait for hours get the chance to visit their relatives at the jail.IG (prison) Iftekhar Uddin on Saturday told to the journalists that every problem of the new jail will be solved soon. “We have applied for gas connection. Problems of the visitors will be resolved within three weeks,” he added. All prisoners have been taken the new jail at Keranigonj from Dhaka old central jail on July 29.
