A renovated and expanded prison cell has been opened at the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital here.The cell, opened on Saturday, has 15 beds, 11 of which are reserved for male inmates of correctional homes.

The rest are for woman prisoners. The cell, which has come up near the medicine ward of the largest state-run referral hospital in the region, has been built by the state public works department. A sum of Rs 1.32 crores was spent by the state department of correctional services on the cell.Earlier, six sickbeds were somehow kept for prisoners in one room at the cell. In 2014, a prisoner had escaped from the male medicine ward. In 2016, an inmate was killed by another.

There had been some more escapes from the cell, said sources. “That is why there was a need for setting up a special cell. Those staying in correctional homes and need medical support will be admitted to the new cell,” a source said.Sanjay Mallik, the superintendent of the NBMCH said, a male warden would be posted at the cell for the patients.

Deepak Kumar Sarki, the superintendent of the special correctional home of Siliguri, said the facility would largely help them. “The correctional homes of Siliguri and a number of surrounding districts are dependent on the NBMCH for treatment of prisoners. This new facility will help us provide them with better treatment,” said Sarki.