Acute shortage of manpower and lack of the required equipment like closed circuit television cameras and jammers in the jails of Uttarakhand are worrying the jail officials. They say that things are grim in view of the reports of threat calls reportedly made from inside the Pauri, Roorkee and Haridwar jail campuses. Some inmates have committed suicide in jail campuses too in various districts in the recent past. Had CCTV cameras been in the campuses, such things might have been averted, said the jail officials.
It is also learnt that the aides of the hardened criminals lodged in the jails are extorting money in the name of their bosses. Such incidents are happening in Dehradun too.
Notably, shortage of jail officials, including jail superintendent, jailors, deputy jailors, head warders, warders and female warders, has been leaving an adverse impact on the functioning of the jail administration.
Jayant Pangti, a Sitarganj open jail officer, had earlier said that no CCTV cameras have been installed in the jail. Recently, a team from state administration had inspected the jail and reviewed security and other necessary arrangements. A proposal stressing on purchasing jammers, CCTV cameras and metal detectors have been sent to the state government through the police headquarters. Pangti said that the matter has been hanging fire since with the state administration sitting on it.
He had, however, said at the same time that positive things had now started happening too in the matter of recruitment of staffs to overcome the acute crunch. Considering several jails of the state facing acute staff crunch, the jail officials had earlier sent a proposal on recruitment of male warders or prison guards to the state government. He informed that the proposal had been approved. State government has started recruitment of 400 jail officials (male-prison guards). The examination is being conducted through Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission (USSSC).
Physical tests of the candidates who applied for the posts of the male prison guards spread over various districts have been completed. The date of written test has not yet been declared so far.
While expressing concern over the shortage of jail officials in various jails of the state, IG jail PVK Prasad said that the issue of recruitment of 400 jail offices lying before the state administration is leaving them in dire straits. He expressed the hope that the date of the written test for the above-mentioned examination would soon be announced.