BANGALORE: In a bid to decrease the pressure facing the existing state jails, the state government proposes to construct jails in Bangalore, Mysore and Bellary, Minister for Prisons A Narayanaswamy told the Legislative Council here on Monday. “I admit that jail staff are finding it difficult to monitor jails on account of more inmates... It is imperative to ease the pressure; hence we intend to construct three more jails,“ he said in response to a question posed by Lehar Singh Siroya of BJP.
Disclosing that as many around 4,000 mobile phones were seized from inmates, Narayanaswamy added that officials who had stayed put in the same place were transferred.
Intervening in the discussion, Home Minister R Ashok said the state government has released `9 crore to install jammers in all jails to avoid the use of cellphones.
Narayanaswamy further said that STD telephone booths have been set up and the convicts are permitted to make phone calls to family members and advocates.
“All their conversations are being recorded as a preventive measure.”
MLCs R V Venkatesh, Abdul Azeem and Vijayshankar expressed concern at increasing lawlessness in the jails.