Century-old prison going to Pallekelle

The 131 year-old Bogambara Prison will finally be relocated in Pallekelle with construction to begin in the near future. The total cost of the project is estimated to cost Rs.3,500 million while the prison would have all modern facilities. The Cabinet has approved a memorandum submitted by Justice and Law Reforms Minister Amarasiri Dodangoda in this regard.

The Treasury has allocated Rs.500 million for phase 1 of the project with the State Engineering Corporation (SEC) being the official contractor for the first phase. Ministry Secretary Suhada Gamlath said now that approval had been given to start the construction, the SEC would be commencing work immediately.

“It’s an eyesore to have a prison in the middle of a beautiful, historical city. It was during British rule that all the main cities had prisons with tall walls surrounding them. In Kandy the Bogambara prison and in Colombo the Welikada prison are two good examples. A prison should not be located in the middle of a city, the site could be used as a commercial property,” he said.

Mr. Gamlath said the construction of the prison was a huge project and it would take more than three years to complete it.“The Bogambara prison will be handed over to the Urban Development Authority on a request made by Minister Dinesh Gunawardena,” Justice Ministry engineering consultant S.D. Jayakody said.

SEC Deputy General Manager (Construction) Lakmini Nonis said the construction will be in four phases and this year construction of the high boundary wall and other buildings would be undertaken. Engineering Consultants Limited which officially designed the prison premises 10 years ago will finally be able to make its plans a reality.

Design Consultant Director (Architecture and Building) Piyal Silva said, according to the plan, the new prison premises would be equipped with a modern security system, a hospital and buildings with special facilities.“There are more than 140 acres in Pallekelle and we are acquiring a large portion of the land for this construction. A closed prison is being designed next to the Pallekelle open prison with more space where more buildings could be constructed,” he said.

Bogambara Prison Superintendent A. P. Nelson Abeydheera said the Bogambara prison consists of one large building with 158 rooms, factory buildings, offices, a kitchen and a hospital building with 45 rooms while the prison has 2000 inmates.

“The increased road traffic is the main reason for shifting the prison. For many years it has been a major obstacle to traffic as it is situated in the heart of the city, but it would be preserved as it is a part of the Heritage City and has great historical value having been built in 1876.

Kandy Municipal Council Commissioner W. A. R. Wimalasiri said the Municipality had not been informed regarding the shifting of the prison but added he believed the prison premises would be preserved as a heritage site.