Jamshedpur, May 30: After spurt in cases of escape of the juvenile offenders from the remand-home, the East Singhbhum district administration has decided to set up a watch-tower at the Ghaghidih-based Remand-Home.
Similar on the lines of Ghaghidih Central Jail the watch tower will be designed to increase security arrangements at the correction home.
Presently the correction home has 28 inmates, all belonging to the age-group of eight years up to 17 years. There are five police constables, including a head constable who keep round the clock watch.
Talking about the initiative, district social welfare officer, Ranjana Mishra said that the administration has decided to come up with a watch-tower at the remand-home premises. It will increase vigil and ensure safety. They would also remove the barbed wire-fencing from the boundary wall, constructing a pathway inside the remand-home and enhancement of security guards.
She said the watch-tower will be manned by security guards round-the-clock so that the juvenile offenders� movement inside the remand-home premises can be tracked and a strict vigil is kept.
Mishra said the idea behind pathway is to use it for foot-patrolling around the remand home by the guards on regular interval. �She said beside the watch-tower and construction pathway, the number of guards will be increased to 10 from the existing five guards.
�We have also decided to increase the height of the boundary wall from 15 feet to 18 feet so as to ensure that escape will be near impossible for any of the juvenile offenders lodged there,� she informed.
It may be recalled that three of the inmates escaped from the remand-home having escalating a 15-feet high boundary wall of the correctional facility in the night of April 6.
The district social welfare officer said that after the April 6 incident of juvenile offender took place, a team of senior police and administrative officers had carried out a meticulous inspection of the facility.
After the inspection the team had recommended for removal of the barbed-wire fencing from boundary wall as the juvenile offenders had used the barbed wire for hooking a rope made of blanket before making the escape.
The district social welfare officer said that they are making an estimate of expenses for the modification and new installation at the remand-home, and when the process of estimation is over, tender will be floated for getting the project executed.
A senior police official also said a watch-tower and other modification was necessary for the remand home at Ghaghidih.