Jamshedpur : The Ghaghidih Central Jail was under East Singhbhum administration�s scanner on Friday.
The district administration team conducted inspection at the jail and ordered immediate action to ensure safety. The Ghaghidih Central Jail has capacity to accommodate 1,452 inmates and presently over 1440 prisoners and undertrial prisoners are lodged in it.
Led by deputy commissioner, Amitabh Kaushal, the administrative team found all the three jammers lying defunct, luggage scanner non-functional, most of the CCTV cameras defunct and the central jail running by scantily staffed security guards. The jailer had been reprimanded by the deputy commissioner for negligence.
Apart from this, jail administration has been asked to initiate proper examining of visitors and also jail inmates. The senior prison authority has also instructed jail administration to ensure that the personnel deployed at the watch towers of the jails keep extra vigil on movement of inmates.
Security of the Ghaghidih Central Jail, located on the outskirts of the steel city was also beefed up. Altogether, 18 naxals are lodged in the central jail for their involvement in different naxal-related cases.
“We have instructed the jail administration to get the jammers as well as the luggage scanner mended and get new CCTV cameras installed at the earliest. There is an acute shortage of security guards. We are also taking the necessary steps to ensure that the central jail may get adequate number of guards,” said Kaushal.
The Ghaghidih Central Jail also lacks adequate security . Jail sources revealed that against a sanctioned strength of 192, the jail has on 71 security personnel. There are no sucurity personnel to man the six watch towers.
Moreover, the jammers that have been installed on the jail premises are meant for stopping signals of 2-G telecom service only.
�We are concerned over the situation and have directed the jail authorities to conduct random checking of cells and prisoner wards where undertrials who are facing trials in naxal related cases are lodged,” an official.
Jail authorities of Kolhan have been asked to take extra precautions. There are 26 jails across the state including five central jails and two sub-divisional jails.