Central jail operation: Officials to give up cars so jails can get repairs done
Court orders finance dept to release half of the funds this week.
HYDERABAD:
The money spent on buying and maintaining officers’ cars will be used to repair and maintain jails, the additional finance secretary agreed on Wednesday.
Initially, when a court asked him to set aside more money for repairs and upkeep at the jails, the secretary argued that the Sindh government would be unable to afford it. But then, he relented, grudgingly, when the judges put their foot down.
“We will cut the spending on the procurement and maintenance of vehicles for the officers to pay the jails,” he said.
The money set aside for repairs at the 23 prisons is not enough, observed the court when it learned that only Rs1.8 million was earmarked in the fiscal budget 2010-2011.
Justice Syed Sajjad Ali Shah and Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar of the Sindh High Court’s (SHC) Hyderabad circuit bench observed that nearly the same amount of money was spent on the maintenance of the houses of judges and bureaucrats every year.
The division bench was hearing a report - turned into a petition by SHC Chief Justice Mushir Alam - on the condition of Hyderabad Central Jail and its inmates. Justice Shah questioned the secretary about the jail operation, as well.
“You killed seven prisoners and injured 17 others during the jail operation last month and now you seem to be planning another operation in Larkana. You also say your leaders lived in jails and that you care about the inmates’ well being. Well, prove it to me,” Shah remarked.
The prisoners continue to live in small cells that are eight-by-eight square feet in size. “You have crammed eight to 10 prisoners in each cell. They wear dirty clothes, perspire, cough and it seems they will suffocate to death,” Shah said.
This financial year, the Sindh government had set aside Rs200 million for all prisons in Sindh but Rs110 million was slashed from this budget to cover the cost of building after the flood. From the remaining Rs90 million, only Rs1.8 million were put aside for repairs.
The court ordered the finance department to hand over Rs30 million for the repairs and maintenance of the central and Nara jails. Half of this amount should be sent within the week, he said. Central prison will receive Rs11.5 million and Nara Jail will receive Rs3.5 million and the remaining Rs15 million will be given to central jail next fiscal year, he added.
The court ordered the additional secretary to consider and approve within a month the home department’s proposal for additional jail staff at central jail so that the Sindh Assembly could post people there. Nara Jail superintendent Pir Shabbir Jan Sarhindi had told the court that he needs 400 new workers because the current staff of 282 was not enough for the 1,900 prisoners.
The next hearing of the case will be held on April 28. The court deferred the explanation of the show-cause notice issued to the Sindh finance secretary, Naveed Kamran Baloch, till the next hearing.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 22nd, 2011.
The money spent on buying and maintaining officers’ cars will be used to repair and maintain jails, the additional finance secretary agreed on Wednesday.
Initially, when a court asked him to set aside more money for repairs and upkeep at the jails, the secretary argued that the Sindh government would be unable to afford it. But then, he relented, grudgingly, when the judges put their foot down.
“We will cut the spending on the procurement and maintenance of vehicles for the officers to pay the jails,” he said.
The money set aside for repairs at the 23 prisons is not enough, observed the court when it learned that only Rs1.8 million was earmarked in the fiscal budget 2010-2011.
Justice Syed Sajjad Ali Shah and Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar of the Sindh High Court’s (SHC) Hyderabad circuit bench observed that nearly the same amount of money was spent on the maintenance of the houses of judges and bureaucrats every year.
The division bench was hearing a report - turned into a petition by SHC Chief Justice Mushir Alam - on the condition of Hyderabad Central Jail and its inmates. Justice Shah questioned the secretary about the jail operation, as well.
“You killed seven prisoners and injured 17 others during the jail operation last month and now you seem to be planning another operation in Larkana. You also say your leaders lived in jails and that you care about the inmates’ well being. Well, prove it to me,” Shah remarked.
The prisoners continue to live in small cells that are eight-by-eight square feet in size. “You have crammed eight to 10 prisoners in each cell. They wear dirty clothes, perspire, cough and it seems they will suffocate to death,” Shah said.
This financial year, the Sindh government had set aside Rs200 million for all prisons in Sindh but Rs110 million was slashed from this budget to cover the cost of building after the flood. From the remaining Rs90 million, only Rs1.8 million were put aside for repairs.
The court ordered the finance department to hand over Rs30 million for the repairs and maintenance of the central and Nara jails. Half of this amount should be sent within the week, he said. Central prison will receive Rs11.5 million and Nara Jail will receive Rs3.5 million and the remaining Rs15 million will be given to central jail next fiscal year, he added.
The court ordered the additional secretary to consider and approve within a month the home department’s proposal for additional jail staff at central jail so that the Sindh Assembly could post people there. Nara Jail superintendent Pir Shabbir Jan Sarhindi had told the court that he needs 400 new workers because the current staff of 282 was not enough for the 1,900 prisoners.
The next hearing of the case will be held on April 28. The court deferred the explanation of the show-cause notice issued to the Sindh finance secretary, Naveed Kamran Baloch, till the next hearing.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 22nd, 2011.