State’s first ‘liveable’ jails ready

At present,the jails in Punjab have provision to accommodate only 10,000 prisoners but on an average 18,000 prisoners are lodged in these jails. For decongestion of other jails,the two jails in Kapurthala and Faridkot will have a capacity to accommodate 2728 and 2076 prisoners respectively.

“The new jails would also have the provision of accommodating family members of prisoners serving long sentences. Such families can stay for three-four days in the jail with their kin lodged inside the jail,” said an official.

Sources said that special suites have been constructed in these jails; each suite will have a bedroom,a lobby,a kitchen and a bathroom. Each jail will have facilities like a 50-bedded multi-specialty hospital,administrative block,training centre-cum-canteen and library blocks,central watch tower,dispensary,flour mill and workshops. The jail would also have educational facilities,fire fighting system,solar water heater system,rainwater harvesting,sewage treatment plant,dual water supply system,and a large green central court with every ward. The new jails would have shops and other facilities,where prisoners and undertrials could buy vegetables,sweets and other amenities.

These jails also have temple,gurdwara, and there would be parking for visitors near the entrance gate,inmates would get drinking water through an RO system and there would be family quarters and rooms for the staff in the hostel. Also,four layers of outer boundary and double strayed barrack.

The new jails would also have latest security arrangements like CCTV,mobile jammer,X-ray scanners,access control system (biometric facility),prison management system and visitor management system.

Besides these two,new modern jails at Mansa and Nabha were also being constructed. Some time back Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal gave consent to start recruitment for 910 posts of head warden,warden and other miscellaneous staff within a couple of months for the upcoming new jails.

The state has seven central jails with 18,000 prisoners at Patiala,Bathinda,Ferozepur,Amritsar,Gurdaspur,Jalandhar and Ludhiana; five district jails at Nabha,Sangrur,Faridkot,Kapurthala,Hoshiarpur; one open-air jails at Nabha; one women’s jail at Ludhiana; one borstal jail at Ludhiana and 10 sub-jails at Fazilka,Moga,Muktsar,Patti,Ropar,Barnala,Malerkotla,Phagwara,Dasuya and Pathankot. The Jalandhar Central Jail will now be shifted to Kapurthala and the Kapurthala Open Jail is also now finished.