With no end to the lawyers’ agitation and cease work, demanding Orissa High Court Bench in western Odisha, situation in Sambalpur Jail is getting out of control. Winter is also adding to the woes of the inmates making life further miserable.
With number of inmates almost double the strength, jail authorities are also facing problems to manage them. Bathroom and toilet problem is unbearable, but it seems there is no hope for an early solution.
“The strength of Sambalpur jail is 541. But after four months cease work and closure of courts, 1,024 people are staying in the jail now and a majority of them are under trials (UTs). Even for small offences, a good number of people are staying in jail due to non availability of bail from courts,” informed the authorities here.
The four months’ closure of courts has created problems both for the authorities and the inmates here and particularly in winter season, they added.
Due to shortage of blankets in winter, at times the inmates also tussle among themselves. Similar is the situation in kitchen as double quantity of food is being cooked beyond the capacity. Further the number of staff is also not adequate to control such a huge population. To add to the problem, five junior staff have also gone for training.
To ease out the situation, camp courts were conducted inside the jail to grant bails in worthy cases. But lawyers also protested to it for which it was stopped to avert unpleasant situations. However, some people are getting bails from the HC and going on bails. But poor people are unable to do that and hence are languishing for months against small offences.
In the meanwhile, the Collector and the SP have made review meetings but to no effect. However, they have instructed to supply adequate materials, including blankets to the inmates as there is acute cold here. However, the common people have urged upon the State Government to find a solution since they are suffering a lot due to closure of offices.