Civic mentor: Birsa Munda Central Jail, Ranchi

Ranchi, April 11: Waste a bottle of water and you will be barred from meeting your family for a day. Misuse a bucket full of water, and you might be locked in an isolated cell for a day or more.

Authorities of Birsa Munda Central Jail are coming down heavily on water criminals inside the prison on Ranchi’s outskirts that has close to 4,000 prisoners, including undertrials. A first of its kind initiative in any prison in the state so far, officials maintained that the impending water crisis made them take this step. The target: to cut down consumption by 40 per cent.

The jail is a colony in itself, with around 6,000 litres of water required for drinking, washing up, cleaning, cooking and other activities, both by inmates and officials. “The whole idea behind launching these punishments is not to deprive inmates of water, but to teach them how to put the available resource in the best possible way,” said D.K. Pradhan, jail superintendent.

In the last two years, the state has been reeling under drought. This year, summer is yet to peak, but the capital is already facing acute water problems.

Not just the capital, cities such as Hazaribagh and Daltonganj — as well as their respective jails — are feeling the heat. “Jails are not cut off from the community. It is natural that water crisis affects the jails in our cities. Convicts are also people who need water, which is why they must also contribute towards saving it,” said the Birsa jail superintendent.

Talking about the penalties for wasting water, Pradhan said that they were minor, but effective. “Inmates have already started reacting to them. Two have already been subjected to punishment in this week,” he added.

Punishment will be meted out depending upon the intensity of the water wastage. For example, if someone keeps the tap open, he will be given a warning once. If he still repeats the mistake, the person will be subjected to punishment. Cutting down on family meeting time or postponement of the meeting, isolation from other inmates inside the cell, et al, are some of the punishments that have been chalked out.

But Birsa jail has always been an innovator. “It is the first jail in India to produce bio gas from excreta. Earlier, prisoners had misgivings about this, but now they have accepted it. Similarly, they will also learn to save water. Jail is essentially a reformatory, and what we are teaching them is civic sense which will help them even upon their release,” said Vijay Kumar Singh, IG (prisons).

But officials are also following the carrot-and-stick routine. So if there’s a rap for water wastage, the reward is purified drinking water. “We are planning to ration water inside jail. But at the same time, inmates can now drink purified water. We are fixing up 18 purifiers of 15 litres to 100 litres capacity inside the jail,” said Pradhan.