The department shelled out nearly Rs 2 lakh to erect a pandal at the newly-constructed Women’s Correctional Home in Alipore to welcome guests for today’s inauguration ceremony.

It shelled out another Rs 45,000 for lighting arrangements — despite the fact that the one-hour programme took place during the day.

The correction home at Alipore, South Kolkata, was previously a place for lunatics and juveniles but this has been converted into a home for women.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi and Biswanath Choudhury, the Minister for Women and Child Development and Social Welfare and Jails.

“I am not aware of the expenses for the decoration. But we are not spendthrifts. I will look into the matter,” Choudhury said when asked about the high expenses. The hour-long programme was held from 11 am. Arrangements for the programme had started a week ago.The state PWD was in charge of the decorations, which included the pandal and lighting. Rs 1,95,000 was spent on the pandal and Rs 45,000 on lighting. According to jail sources, the authorities wanted to organise a gala affair during the inauguration and hence the expenditure.

The home will provide the 246 women inmates, of whom 179 are undertrials, a scope for mental and physical development. There will be classes on painting, theatre and more importantly — schools for their children.

The special jail is meant for women inmates to develop in a positive environment.

The Governor urged the state government to make use of legal provisions made recently so undertrials can be released on personal bond in certain conditions. “The undertrials who have spent half their period of their possible sentence can be released on a personal bond,” Gandhi said while inaugurating the city's first all-women jail.