MARDAN: The over-crowded building of the Mardan district jail is in bad shape which could result in any untoward incident and needs immediate attention of the authorities concerned.

Data collected through different sources revealed that the building of Mardan district jail, constructed in 1846, has a capacity of accommodating only 314 prisoners, but currently it is housing 602 prisoners.

Similarly, 22 minors are being kept in the juvenile section of the jail against its capacity of 10 prisoners. Besides, seven women prisoners are also kept in the building.

Syed Usman advocate, district coordinator for Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (Sparc), Takhtbai bar association’s president Qamar Zaman and Arif Shah advocate, who visited the jail a few days ago to meet prisoners, spoke to Dawn about the miserable condition of the prisoners.

They said that the prisoners’ life was in danger due to dilapidated condition of the jail building. They informed that there was no doctor for female prisoners while only one doctor was available for male inmates.

The lawyers said many prisoners were compelled to spend long time in the jail over pretty crimes as police failed to submit challans on time, resulting in overcrowding.

They suggested that the provincial government immediately shift prisoners from the city area to new building constructed outside the city limits and construct a public park at the site of the district jail as it was right in the centre of the city.

Sawood, a prisoner, told Dawn that he along with other inmates requested time and again the relevant officials to repair the faulty geyser as it was very difficult for them to take bath or ablution with the cold water, but to no avail.

He said that they were also not provided medicines.

A female prisoner told this correspondent on condition of anonymity that many inmates had fallen ill due to unhygienic conditions in the building. She pointed out that sewerage and drainage system remained chocked.

When contacted, Mian Mohammad Anwar Kakakhel, superintendent of Mardan district jail, admitted that the jail building was overcrowded. But, he said that the prisoners would be shifted to the new building, having the capacity of housing 3,000 prisoners, in March.

He claimed that the new building constructed on 320 kanals of land was one of the best jails in Pakistan equipped with all the latest facilities.

Mr Kakakhel said that steps were also being taken to remove problems facing the prisoners. He said a female doctor was arranged once a week for women prisoners’ checkup.