The Punjab Government has decided to construct three Central Jails at Bathinda, Amritsar and Ferozepur besides a district jail at Muktsar at a cost of Rs.200 crore.
A decision to this effect was taken by the Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal in a meeting here at Chief Minister’s Office with the senior functionaries of the Jails department this morning. The Chief Minister further said that these upcoming central jails would be set up over an area of 70 acre each and the district jail would be in an area of 25 acre.
Taking part in the deliberations, the Chief Minister asked the DGP Jails to work out modalities to generate resources to make the functioning of the jails across the state self sustainable and economically viable through the participation of local industry. Mr. Badal also asked the jail authorities to garner the participation of big industrial houses for this purpose.
It was informed in the meeting to curb the growing habit of drug addiction amongst the inmates; the state government had already taken a decision to set up drug de-addiction centers in all the seven central jails, of which these would be set up in four such jails in the first phase.
The Chief Minister agreed to the proposals mooted by the Principal Secretary Home demanding Rs.3 crore for walky talky communication network within the jails, Rs.1.6 crore for CCTV Camera, Rs.2.7 crore for video conferencing equipment besides Rs.5 crore for imparting vocational training to the inmates.
The DGP Jails assured the Chief Minister that a pilot project would be initiated with the local industry involving 400 inmates within a fortnight as a reformatory measures.
Prominent amongst others who attended the meeting included Jail Minister Mr. Sarwan Singh Phillaur, Rural Development & Panchayats Mr. Surjit Singh Rakhra, Principal Secretary Home Mr. DS Bains, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Mr. SK Sandhu, Principal Secretary Development Mr. Gurinderjit Sing Sandhu, Principal Secretary Health & Family Welfare Mrs. Vinni Mahajan, Special Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Mr. KS Pannu, Chief Administrator PUDA Mr. AS Miglani DGP Jails Mr. Sashi Kant and IG Jails Mr. Jagjit Singh.