To gird up security in jails of Punjab, 573 veteran Army men would be deployed to assist the police in keeping strict watch on visitors.
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Thursday gave his nod to recruit 573 trained ex-servicemen from the Punjab Ex-servicemen Corporation (PESCO) during a high-level meeting of the Jail department. Badal, during the meeting, gave approval to a plan of modernising and upgrading the security in jails in the State at expenditure of Rs 20 crore.
The comprehensive plan, submitted by the Jail department, aims at completely overhauling the prison security systems with the installation of high-powered jammers, door metal detectors and other equipment, besides vehicles for the department to update the security system in the jails.
Badal asked the Jail department to execute the whole work in a phased manner so as to bring more efficiency in the work. Chief Minister also stressed on the need to strictly check the supply of drugs in jails - a menace which, according to him, has posed a serious threat to the inmates.
The Chief Minister also asked the Principal Secretary, Home DS Bains to explore all possibilities of making the process for release of prisoners, who have completed their term of conviction, much simpler, thereby curtailing the cumbersome procedure of unwarranted hierarchical clearances.