ARs300 crore comprehensive master plan has been drawn for the jails of Punjab to solve the problems of overcrowding, security concerns, drug-peddling inside jails, medical facilities, among other things.
The master plan would facilitate overall development of prisons in the State, besides construction of new sub-jails both at divisional and district levels. The multi-crore master plan would be implemented in the next four years in a phased manner.
To overcome the problem of overcrowding, three new jails with enhanced capacity at Amritsar, Bathinda and Muktsar would be constructed, said Punjab Jail Minister Sarwan Singh Phillaur on Wednesday. He said that presently, there are 25,219 prisoners against the present capacity of 18,406.
“The new jails coming up would be equipped with CCTV cameras, mobile jammers and other security equipment to ensure proper security in these upcoming jails,” he added.
The Minister asserted that the Government was fully aware of the problems being faced by the prison staff in handling the nexus between the drug peddlers and the prisoners in the jails. “To break this nexus, the State Government has decided to empower the superintendents of jails to search the prisoners and conduct criminal proceeding under NDPS Act,” he added.
Phillaur further informed that the matter was also being taken up with the Chief Minister before final implementation.
The Minister has asked the officers to conduct extensive search operations in Punjab prisons with a view to nabbing the objectionable material posing security threat from the jail inmates.
The officers confiscating maximum of such things from the prisoners would be honoured by the State Government, said the Minister.
To ensure timely medical aid to the prisoners, the Minister said that a committee comprising of Superintendent Jail, Medical Officer of the Jail and Civil Surgeon have been constituted to identify the psychiatrist, pediatrician, gynecologist and other specialists’ on call doctors of the area to be on the panel of the jail department. With a view to engaging the prisoners in some lucrative venture, the Minister said the State Government was in touch with the Indian Oil Corporation working out the modalities to open petrol or filling stations at Nabha, Sangrur and Gurdaspur where prisoners with good conduct would be given jobs.
Besides, the department has also chalked out a plan to set up its own bakery unit on the pattern of Tihar Jail, said the Minister.