To beef up the security at various prisons across the State, Punjab Government on Thursday decided to maintain computerised records of the visitors, right from visitor entry to frisking.
Directives, in this regard, have been sent to all jail superintendents, said Punjab’s Jail Minister Sarwan Singh Phillaur.
They have been asked to ensure the arrangements for providing essential items through a computerised system so that economies of scale with quality assurance and without risk of security breach.
The Government is trying to get security personnel from other States or central para-military forces for securing the outer ring of jail premises,he said.
For securing the inner ring and restricting inmates from mingling with security personnel, about 700 ex-servicemen from the Punjab Ex-servicemen Corporation (PESCO) would be deployed at an annual estimated cost of Rs8 crore, the Minister said.
Taking serious note of allegations that drugs and mobile phones were finding way inside the jails, Phillaur said that X-ray machines, scanners, and sniffer dogs would also be used to monitor visitors' entry.
District Magistrates have also been asked to check visitor's records for discrepancies, he said.
Phillaur said that the capacity of drug de-addiction centres would be enhanced and other facilities like psychiatric care and counselling services would also be incorporated.
The new jail at Nabha near Patiala, with a capacity of 500 inmates, would be equipped with a “drug de-addiction prison” where addicts from other jails in Faridkot, Ferozepur, Mansa, Bhatinda etc would be admitted.
“The aim is to improve mental and physical conditions of these prisoners so that they can lead a healthy life even while being lodged in jail,” Phillaur added.
The Minister has also directed the Jail Superintendents to ensure immediate assessment of the medical condition of a person upon arrest.
Any person, particularly, a drug addict found to be suffering from a serious medical condition warranting urgent medical care would be admitted to hospital first for stabilization before being lodged in prison.