|
The building had seven wings,
at the centre of which a tower served as the intersection and was used
by guards to keep watch on the inmates; this format was based on Jeremy
Bentham's idea of the Panopticon. The wings radiated from the tower in
straight lines, much like the spokes of a bicycle wheel. A large bell
was kept in the tower to raise an alarm.
Each of the seven wings had three stories upon completion. There were no
dormitories and a total of 693 cells. Each cell was 4.5 by 2.7 metres
(14.8 ft × 8.9 ft) in size with a ventilator located at a height of 3
metres (9.8 ft). The spokes were so designed such that the face of a
cell in a spoke saw the back of cells in another spoke. This way,
communication between prisoners was impossible. They were all in
solitary confinement.
Today, however, the jail has
been transformed into an immaculately kept national monument complete
with a garden that seems very much at odds with the horror of the place.
You can visit it from morning 9.30 am to 4.00 pm. A light-and-sound show
in Hindi (6.00 pm) and English (7.00 pm) available in the evenings.
How to
reach
Veer Savarkar International Airport also known as
Port Blair Airport
(IATA: IXZ, ICAO: VOPB), is a customs airport located 2 km (1.2 mi)
south of Port Blair and is the main airport of the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands of India.
It is situated quite close to the G B Pant Hospital and can be accessed
via Aberdeen Bazaar. You can best hail a cab from Aberdeen Bazar to
reach here.
|
