The Hindu : New Delhi News : CCTV for Tihar jail this year

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Saturday, Feb 02, 2008
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CCTV for Tihar jail this year

Staff Reporter

Also to be supplied with piped gas by May

258 cameras, control rooms in all jails
IGL gas to get rid of cylinders, a threat

NEW DELHI: Asia’s largest prison complex, Tihar Central Jail, is all set to get a modern closed-circuit television system with 258 cameras, control rooms in all jails and a centralised control room by mid-February.

Also, the complex would be supplied with piped natural gas by Indraprastha Gas Limited by May and this would help it get rid of gas cylinders which can pose a major threat in the event of a fire, Director-General (Prisons) B.K. Gupta said on Thursday while addressing the annual press conference.

The official also informed that the jail authorities had sent reports to the Government seeking action against a Resident Medical Officer for showing favours to a terrorist in lieu of financial gains. Noting that 33 inmates had died during the year, Mr. Gupta said in four of the cases FIRs had been registered. Outlining various other developments and achievements, Mr. Gupta said following the death of some inmates in June 2007, the Delhi High Court had played a crucial role in introducing plea bargaining in the prison complex which had led to the release of about 650 inmates since. With this and release of various other category of inmates, he said, the prison population had dropped significantly from 13,700 to 11,300 in the past six months and this was now at the 2001 level.

Plan for another jail

He said construction of another jail at Mandoli with 3,600 capacity would start in April 2008 and transfer of land for two more jails at Narela and Bapraula is being speeded up by the Delhi High Court.

For the welfare of the inmates, he said, a number of steps have been initiated. The wages of the inmates have been increased from Rs.10 to Rs.40 for the unskilled, Rs.12 to Rs.44 for the semi-skilled and Rs.16 to Rs.52 for the skilled following a Delhi Government notification. And 25 per cent of these wages would be put in the Victims’ Relief Fund for payment to the next of kin of those who may lose their lives in crimes.

Mr. Gupta said four jails that were over 50 year old were being renovated and being provided with tiles and flush system. The work on these would be over by 2008-end, he said. For improving the living condition of inmates, he said, two sewage treatment plants would be installed within six months for recycling water for horticulture and toilet purposes. And reverse osmosis systems would be installed in all the jails in 2008 for providing clean drinking water.

With the Municipal Corporation of Delhi having started daily removal of garbage, he said, the jail was much more hygienic now.

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