Amritsar, Jul 25 (PTI) The Amritsar core committee of the Punjab State Human Rights Commission (PSHRC) on Saturday visited the Central Jail here and recommended installation of 5G-compatible jammers, additional sniffer dogs, and increased use of video conference to curb smuggling of contraband.
The committee held a review meeting with the jail administration in the wake of the recent recovery of mobile phones and narcotics from inside the jail. Discussions focused on jail security, prisoners’ human rights, de-addiction, healthcare, legal aid, rehabilitation, and the challenges facing the jail administration.
Speaking to reporters, core committee member Vikram Maini said he, along with committee coordinator Ram Singh and members Amandeep Singh and Gagandeep Singh Pahwa, reviewed the situation with Central Jail Superintendent Rajeev Arora and other senior officials.
Officials informed the committee that against a sanctioned capacity of 2,200 inmates, the jail currently houses around 4,700 prisoners, of whom nearly 75 per cent are undertrials.
The committee said early disposal of pending cases and timely legal aid to eligible prisoners would be an important step toward decongesting the jail.
Officials also said drug smuggling remains the biggest security challenge. They informed the committee that the existing mobile signal jammers were not compatible with 5G networks, while recently deployed German Shepherd sniffer dogs have achieved notable success in detecting narcotics.
The committee recommended installing 5G-compatible jammers, deploying additional sniffer dogs, and conducting the maximum number of prisoner appearances through video conference to effectively curb the smuggling of contraband inside the jail.
The committee also reviewed ongoing de-addiction programmes, mental health services, medical facilities, skill development, and rehabilitation schemes at the jail.
It stressed the need to promptly fill vacant medical posts, strengthen psychological counselling, and improve coordination between government departments and social organisations for the rehabilitation of prisoners after release.
Shortage of manpower also emerged as a key issue during the meeting. Jail officials said one guard is currently responsible for around 22 prisoners against the prescribed norm of one for every five inmates.
The committee emphasised the need to recruit more regular jail staff, improve service conditions, and provide continuous training.
At the end of the meeting, the committee submitted its recommendations to the jail superintendent, saying jail reforms should strengthen security while ensuring prisoners’ human rights, dignity, health, access to justice, and rehabilitation.
The jail administration assured the committee of a detailed written response on the issues raised. PTI JMS SUN RHL
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