PESHAWAR, June 23: The provincial government has started hastily demolishing the 150-year-old central prison and have problems for prisoners, especially women.

As a first step, the women’s section, which was separate from the main prison building, was shifted to a barrack in the men’s section, and a boundary wall constructed around it overnight to separate it from the men’s section.

The government’s move has added to the miseries of women prisoners as the previous section was spacious and there were beds to sleep on. Some of them have also their children with them.

“Some women prisoners were huddled in the barrack which certainly is not meant for 70 prisoners presently lodged there,” informed a jail official. He added that convicted women had already been shifted to other prisons such as Haripur and Kohat.

The demolition work on the central prison, established in 1854, started after the provincial government decided to shift the prison from Peshawar to Jallozai, about 25kms from here in Nowshera district. Although, work on the new prison is still in the initial stages the government is in a hurry to demolish the present building.

In the original women’s section two training projects were being run by two NGOs - Dost Foundation and Aurat Foundation. They had been allotted separate rooms there for training for keeping their equipment such as sewing machines, etc.

In the present setup there will not be any room for such activity, informed an NGO worker.

Surprisingly, a showroom, where items prepared by women prisoners were displayed for sale, near the main entrance of the prison, has been converted into living quarters for the cops.

The residences of other staff, including assistant superintendents and prison doctors, have also been vacated. One of the doctor has been accommodated in Shahi Mehmankhana (official guest house).