A report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has flagged overcrowding, inadequate infrastructure, and poor medical facilities in Punjab jails.
A report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has flagged overcrowding, inadequate infrastructure, and poor medical facilities in Punjab jails.
According to the audit report which was tabled in the state assembly on Monday, the administration took six years to adopt the framework outlined in the model prison manual, 2016 and notify the Punjab Prison Rules, 2022.
Despite recommendations of the Public Accounts Committee, overcrowding in jails persisted, said the report. There are 26 jails of various categories in the state: 10 central jails, seven district jails, two women jails at Bathinda and Ludhiana, one borstal jail at Ludhiana, one open air jail at Nabha (Patiala), and five sub jails.
According to the report, against the capacity of 23,638 male inmates, the occupancy was 24,101 in 2021-22. Similarly, the occupancy was 28,481 in 2022-23 against the capacity of 23,658 male inmates.
The report indicated that overcrowding was a significant barrier to providing basic facilities to the inmates.
Examination of records from the examined jails revealed that, among other factors, the extended detention of undertrial prisoners caused by missed court dates and delays in building or refurbishing new jails has significantly added to the yearly rise in overcrowding, further deteriorating the insufficient facilities available for inmates in Punjab.
In its response, the government stated that constructing extra barracks in the six current jails, along with a new high-security prison in Ludhiana and a new district jail in Mohali, was underway and would boost the authorized capacity.
Additionally, the government indicated that a weekly evaluation of the prison population was being conducted by a State Level Committee led by the inspector general (prisons), and based on these assessments, from January 2021 to December 2023. The count of 17,916 prisoners were relocated from overcrowded facilities to those with lower populations.
The government also informed that all adult male inmates, except those serving life sentences, may be permitted to reside in the district or central prisons closest to their home district for the convicted prisoners, whenever feasible.
The report indicated that the government’s response did not align with the real conditions, as 6,204 male inmates and 203 female inmates remained in prisons beyond the authorizedcapacity, despite available space in other facilities, and only 5,017 inmates (806 in 2021-22 and 4,211 in 2022-23) were movedout of a total of 17,916 inmates to alleviate congestion.
It also discovered that restroom facilities were insufficient in 74 percent of male and 63 percent of female barracks, resulting in unsanitary conditions.
According to the report, health care facilities showed a 72 percent deficit of hospital beds and a 60 percent deficit of medical personnel. This required the treatment of 45,497 inmates in Civil Hospitals beyond the prison, which allowed 22 prisoners to get away, it stated.
