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The superintendent of Ghaghidih Central Jail (in picture) has been asked to visit the Ghatshila prison every week
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Jamshedpur, Jan. 31: Cells to segregate undertrials and a new hospital on the premises figure in the makeover plans for the highly-sensitive Ghatshila sub-divisional jail, located in the rebel hotbed of Dalbhumgarh.
The state prison authorities forwarded a proposal in this regard to the public works department (building construction) last week, seeking a survey of the jail to start with.
Speaking to The Telegraph, inspector-general (prisons) Vijay Kumar Singh said they wanted to build eight cells in the jail as at present, all undertrials are lodged in wards, even though a number of them are facing trial for their Naxalite links.
“There is no cell in Ghatshila sub-divisional jail and it is dangerous to allow rebel undertrials in the wards. Therefore, we have decided to set up cells at the earliest to ensure the security of rebels facing trial,” said Singh.
The IG added that keeping in mind the sensitivity of the sub-divisional jail, he had instructed the superintendent of Ghaghidih Central Jail to visit the prison every week.
Built in 1980, the sub-divisional jail is big enough to hold 170 undertrials, but is home to 220 inmates at present, of whom around 30 are Naxalites. Though the jail has 12 wards, the condition of two is so dilapidated that the jail authorities have been forced to shut them down, leaving the undertrials crammed in 10 wards.
A senior jail officer on condition of anonymity said the condition of the sub-divisional jail was “extremely miserable”. “The plaster of the walls and the ceilings are peeling off. Seepage during the rainy season is common in all wards,” said the official, adding that the security of the jail was recently enhanced with a new boundary wall, but no effort had been made to strengthen the main building.
He added that seeing the dilapidated condition of the jail, four hardcore rebels were recently shifted to Ghaghidih Central Jail.
Speaking about the prison hospital, the IG said the hospital building will come up simultaneously with the cells so that undertrials, especially those with rebel links, will not have to be shifted to other hospitals when required, an act fraught with risk of the inmates fleeing judicial custody.
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