Prisons dept to install water dispensers, air coolers

Punjab Prisons Department is spending millions of rupees to install water chillers, coolers, fans, geysers and TVs in jails to help the inmates fight harsh weather conditions.

Former chief minister Usman Buzdar had noticed during a visit to a jail some months earlier that a ceiling fan was not functioning. When he enquired about the matter, he was informed that the fans in jails of the province had not been replaced for over a decade.

He had issued instructions for purchase of necessary electric equipment for all prisons of Punjab. The provincial government had allocated Rs7 billion for purpose during the ongoing year.

During the harsh summer and winter months, a number of cases of deterioration of health and casualties among inmates are reported. Official record shows that in a week of December last year, when the weather turned extremely cold, at least seven inmates died in Lahore Camp Jail.

As many 47 prisoners had died in the jail during 2021. The number of inmates’ deaths during the year throughout the province was over 200. Another factor adversely affecting prisoners is that the jails in Punjab are overcrowded.

A report submitted by the prisons department before Lahore High Court in February revealed that the number of prisoners in the province was 50,578, while the capacity of the prisons was 36,806.

The overcrowding also causes serious health issues for the inmates, especially in summers.

According to official estimates, as many 90 ceiling fans of 90-inch size with a spending of Rs539,550, 20 room coolers with Rs772,000, 10 water chillers with Rs1.745 million, 30 geysers with a spending of Rs103,4100, 40 LEDs with Rs1.816 million and 10 washing machines with a cost of Rs339,000 will be purchased for the Narowal District Jail.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 3^rd, 2022.