The State government is facing an uphill task in identifying nearly 50 acres of land in Central Kerala for the proposed Central Prison, as the existing correctional facilities buckle under severe overcrowding.
Kerala’s 57 prisons, designed to accommodate 7,828 inmates, presently house 10,832 prisoners, over 38% above capacity. The situation is particularly dire in the Central Prisons at Poojappura, Viyyur and Kannur, which hold 3,839 prisoners, far exceeding their combined capacity of 2,228.
The urgency for a modern correctional facility intensified following the recent escape of Govindachamy, a convict in a high-profile rape and murder case. Following the incident, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan convened a high-level meeting that resolved to identify a suitable land in Kottayam or Pathanamthitta for a new Central Prison.
However, multiple requests by the Kerala Prisons and Correctional Services to the District Collectors of Kottayam, Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta in the recent past have yielded little progress, largely due to the unavailability of sufficient tracts of land. Dense population clusters and legal complexities around acquiring plantation land have created significant roadblocks, sources said.
