UP prison inmates make masks, listen to ‘jail radios’ amid coronavirus lockdown

Authorities in Uttar Pradesh started taking all precautionary measures within the states jails even earlier than the nationwide lockdown was enforced from March 25 onwards, together with thermal screening and manufacture of sanitisers and face masks and many others, a senior officer mentioned.

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In a telephonic interview with IANS, Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (Prisons), Anand Kumar, mentioned that an alert had been sounded to state jails on March 12 even because the coronavirus menace was looming giant over the nation in order to make sure the security of each inmates and jail workers. Thermal screening was offered in jails as a precautionary measure.

The job of manufacture of face masks, sanitisers and soaps was additionally taken up round that point. “Till May 7, jail inmates have manufactured around 11.49 lakh face masks, out of which 8 lakh have since been provided to government and non-governmental organisations. Also, the inmates and jail staff are using face masks. The manufacture of masks is still continuing,” the DGP (Prisons) mentioned.

The senior IPS officer mentioned that the ‘jail radios’ have been additionally coming in helpful to battle the stress and nervousness amongst inmates amid the coronavirus scare within the nation.

Prisons Department spokesman Santosh Verma mentioned that these radio programs have been presently in operation in 26 jails, together with these in Ghaziabad, Shahjahanpur, Gorakhpur, Itawah, Agra, Lucknow, and Noida.

Verma mentioned that these jail radios had helped prisoners maintain themselves busy in the course of the nationwide lockdown. Exchange of reports and views by these radios have saved the jail inmates abreast of what’s taking place within the outdoors world. Interestingly, these jail radios are operated by prisoners, with jail workers having nothing the do with the endeavour.

Official sources mentioned that the 71 jails in Uttar Pradesh home greater than 90,000 undertrials and convicted prisoners. As the coronavirus menace loomed giant, authorities paroled out 2,251 convicted and 13,453 undertrial prisoners. So, there are nonetheless over 75,000 prisoners lodged in state jails.

Ten of the 71 jails in Uttar Pradesh are mentioned to be overcrowded — Moradabad, Jaunpur, Lalitpur, Saharanpur, Ghaziabad, Devaria, Mathura, Varanasi,Shahjahanpur and Itawah. As for the numbers, the Prayagraj jail is essentially the most overcrowded, lodging over 4,000 inmates as in contrast with its capability of two,060 prisoners solely.

DGP Kumar mentioned that in an effort to stop the unfold of coronavirus within the jails, 56 short-term jails have been arrange in 45 districts of Uttar Pradesh. As many as 783 prisoners are lodged there, together with 538 Indians and 245 foreigners, in order that inmates lodged in common jails have been saved from the unfold of coronavirus.

Verma mentioned that 100 PPE kits have to date been made in Meerut jail, costing Rs 600 every. He identified {that a} face masks costing Rs 95 was out there within the markets outdoors at five-six instances this price.

The work of constructing PPE kits was additionally occurring in Lucknow Model Jail. At least 132 kits have to date been equipped to Balrampur hospital.

DGP Kumar mentioned that they’d made efforts to offer stitching machines in jails which to date didn’t have these, in an effort to pace up the manufacture of face masks.

As for coronavirus circumstances reported in numerous jails, the senior officer mentioned that the demise of an inmate in Agra jail had come to gentle. “However, we are trying everything possible to ensure that the jail inmates across Uttar Pradesh are saved from the threat of coronavirus,” he added.

(Sanjiv Chauhan may be contacted at sanjiv.c[email protected])

–IANS

Hindi/tsb