Family apartments to be constructed in jail premises

Amritsar, Oct 3 (UNI) Disciplined prisoners and undertrials will be allowed to stay with their families as the Punjab government plans to construct family apartments inside the jail premises of all district jails in the state.

Small sized two-room family apartments would be constructed inside jail premises where prisoners with good track record of conduct while in jail would be allowed to stay with their families for a week, Tourism and Jails Minister Hira Singh Gabria said here today.

He disclosed that the government was drafting a new jail policy under which centers for vocational training would be established inside the permises of all prisons. These will impart training to the prisoners, he added.

He said that jails are 'Sudhar Ghars' where inmates should be treated like normal human beings. A conducive atmosphere was needed to help prisoners to be good citizens, he added.

A lively atmosphere must be created in the jails with facilities like open-air theatre, play grounds, better health care facilities and place for worship and meditation, he added.

The government proposes a jail-industry linkage, under which prisoners would be trained in various trades or skills. This would assure the prisoners of minimum wages, with half the amount going with the jail inmates accounts and the remaining being handed over to the jail authorities for maintainence work, he said.

The government has decided to set up jails with a capacity of 2500 to 3000 people, he said. He said that the new building of Ropar jail would be completed by end of this year, while the Nabha jail will be competed by March next year.

The Minister has already directed the jail Superintendents to start 'Sangat Darshan' programmes for jail inmates, so that their problems would be redressed. He also announced a grant of Rs one lakh for Amritsar Central Jail.

UNI