Patna: HC to monitor construction of jail in Arwal district

PATNA: The Patna high court on Friday said that that it will monitor the entire construction of jail in Arwal which is yet to have one even after it was made a district after carving out from Jehanabad more than two decades back.
A division bench of Justice Jyoti Saran and Justice Anjani Kumar Sharan, while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by one Binod Kumar on the last day before going to vacation for a month, posted the matter for next hearing on August 5 to seek details of progress made till then by the state government.
Kumar, in his PIL, had urged the high court to direct the concerned authorities for construction of infrastructure required for district court and sanction posts in lower judiciary which had yet not been done. It is under the jurisdiction of district and sessions judge and additional district and sessions judge of the Jehanabad district that the Arwal district is functioning since last two decades.
The court issued the monitoring direction after chief secretary submitted counter affidavit during Friday’s hearing that it will take altogether 22 months for the complete construction of the jail which includes the four months’ tenure for tendering process.
The chief secretary, in his affidavit also apprised the court that the government had given administrative approval for jail construction in Arwal district on January 2 this year and its land measurement process was done on May 10.
During earlier hearing held over the matter on May 8, the court was left infuriated after chief secretary had sought 22 months’ time for construction of the jail.
To this, the court had directed the chief secretary to reply that how much time was taken for construction of ‘architectural marvels’ like Bihar Museum, Sardar Patel Bhawan, Bapu Sabhagar, Adhiveshan Bhawan as well as Beur central jail.
The reply came in Friday’s affidavit in which court was apprised that Bihar Museum was to be completed on June 30, 2015 but was partially opened on August 7, 2015 and fabrication work in some galleries was still pending.
Sadar Patel Bhawan got completed after four years and ten months of sanction. The completion date was September 28, 2016 but it actually finished on October 11, 2018.
The Bapu Shabhagaar along with Gyan Bhawan and Sbhayata Dwar was to be completed on Novemer 11, 2015 but was completed in six years in place of two years.
Adhivenshan Bhawan was completed after fifteen years and five months of administrative sanction. Its actual completion date was May 19, 2001 but was completed on July 13, 2013. Beur Central Jail construction started on October 27, 1987 and was completed on august 11, 1994 which is seven years and two months after administrative approval.