CHANDIGARH: In a major push to modernise its prison infrastructure and security measures, the Punjab government is rolling out advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based surveillance systems, full-body scanners, and 5G jammers across all 14 jails in the state.
The initiative aims to curb drug smuggling, mobile phone use, and in-prison violence, while also addressing overcrowding.
The state has sanctioned Rs 252 crore for comprehensive jail upgrades. Of this, Rs 126 crore is for installing security equipment and Rs 126 crore for constructing new barracks to accommodate over 5,000 additional inmates.
According to senior government officials, AI-enabled CCTV systems will be installed in 11 jails this year as part of a state-wide rollout. “This will help in detection and generating alerts on identification of throws from over the walls, crowd detection, entry into prohibited zones, entry or exit of foreign objects,” an official said.
The Prison Inmate Calling System has also been expanded, with 800 calling machines installed to ensure inmates can legally communicate with their families without resorting to unauthorised means.
To block unauthorised mobile signals and deter criminal coordination from inside the jails, 63 V-Kavach jammers, capable of disrupting 5G and 5GHz Wi-Fi, will be installed in three central jails in the state: Bathinda, New Jail Nabha, and Goindwal, as well as in the high-security zones of ten others. The procurement process is underway, and towers for the jammers are already being constructed.
The security revamp also includes procurement of full-body scanners, X-ray tunnel scanners (both large and small), body-worn cameras, floodlights, searchlights, walkie-talkie sets, non-linear junction detectors to detect hidden phones, boom barriers, anti-riot kits, e-carts, and wire mesh in high-security areas. The state’s canine squad will also be expanded, with 32 sniffer dogs being inducted, up from fewer than 10 at present.
Currently, Punjab’s prisons house approximately 38,000 inmates, far exceeding the sanctioned capacity of 26,081. To address this, the state is constructing new barracks in nine jails, which will add capacity for over 5,100 prisoners. Of this, around 4,000 spaces are expected to be ready within this financial year. Tenders have been floated by the Punjab Police Housing Corporation for the same.
The state is also augmenting manpower, with recruitment underway for 692 personnel, including wardens, matrons, assistant superintendents, and deputy superintendents.
This multi-pronged upgrade is one of the most ambitious prison reforms Punjab has allegedly undertaken in recent years.