Prison authorities had in July 2014 applied to the Collector’s office for the 54-acre plot in Mandale, Mankhurd, for constructing an additional jail in the city. The plan to construct a new jail in Mumbai to decongest the massively overcrowded Arthur Road and Byculla prisons has been put on the back-burner for at least three years, as land identified in Mankhurd for the prison has been handed over for the Mumbai Metro-2 project. Prison authorities had in July 2014 applied to the Collector’s office for the 54-acre plot in Mandale, Mankhurd, for constructing an additional jail in the city. But the land was ultimately given to the Mumbai Metropolitan Development Authority (MMRDA) for constructing a car shed for the Metro-2 project, official sources told DNA. However, later, a 12.5-acre plot near the MMRDA plot was reserved for a new jail in the city’s Development Plan 2034. But jail authorities will have to wait for at least three years to construct a prison there, as the plot will be utilised as a casting yard for the Metro car shed. Once the car shed is ready, the plot will be acquired by jail authorities from the MMRDA, a senior prisons officer, requesting anonymity, told DNA. The officer added, “The plan to construct an additional jail in Mumbai has been going on for the past four to five years, and we had applied to the Collector’s office for the 54-acre land in Mankhurd. But as MMRDA sought the same land for their car shed, they got preference and the plot was handed over for the Metro project. Both the existing jails in Mumbai are extremely overcrowded.” The plot reserved for the new jail is behind the Hindu crematorium and Muslim and Christian cemetery at Cheeta camp in Mandale village, Mankhurd. The Bombay High Court, on March 1, 2017, had directed the state government to construct additional prisons across the state and also renovate the existing ones.

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