Govt to set up creches for children of women inmates

by Punjabnewswire4u (Balbir)

CHANDIGARH, SEPT 6

With a view to providing better care facilities to the infants and below 6 children of women prisoners who were facing various criminal cases, the Punjab government would set up crèches inside the jails. 

Stating this here today after visiting the Central Jail Patiala where such crèche is already functional for more than 100 women prisoners, Mr. Sarwan Singh Phillaur, Jail Minister Punjab said that the government was in touch with NGOs and working out the modalities to set up child care units in half a dozen jails on the pattern of Patiala Jail. The Minister also directed the officers of the department to initiate the pre-release cases of the prisoners on priority and the entitled prisoners should not be kept in waiting while allowing them to be released on parole. Taking a sympathetic view, the minister said that all those prisoners with good conduct would be transferred to their home towns at the earliest.                 

Mr. Phillaur also visited the soap and detergent making units set up on trial basis in the Patiala jail. In order to rehabilitate the inmates by imparting training for the skilled and semi-skilled jobs in various trades, the Punjab government would formulate an extensive plan to set up small and viable units like paper making, tailoring, weaving, chemical units, bakery and leather units so that on their release the prisoners could earn their livelihood outside in a dignified manner, said Mr. Phillaur.                      

Referring to adequate safety measures taken up in Punjab jails, the minister reiterated that CCTVs have been installed in 7 Central Jails and 6 District Jails to monitor jail premises and movement of prisoners. The Government would install such cameras in the rest of jails and upgrade the existing CCtv system by installing CCtv cameras at all security towers including Central towers and other sensitive places to monitor the movements of prisoners.  With the installation of 6 jammers in the high security jail Nabha, the usage of mobiles would be totally stopped, said the Minister. More such jammers would be installed within this week in the central Jail Sangrur, he added. The Minister has also directed the senior officers to conduct surprise checks ensure complete computerisation of records in Punjab prisons and to check the escape of under trial prisoners while taking them to the courts, the Minister said that to overcome this problem of production of under trial prisoners for extension of their judicial remand, Video conferencing equipment have been installed and video conferencing has been made operational in 10 Jails and 32 Courts at the cost of Rs.1.48 crores. In phase-2, Video Conferencing would be introduced in 16 Jails and 24 Courts at Cost of Rs. 2.23 Crores. This step would ensure the production of under trial prisoners in Courts through Video linkage and would result in expeditious disposal of the cases of under trial prisoners and would prevent infiltration/smuggling of contraband substances being brought by prisoners while coming back from Court production in the jails.