HYDERABAD: The proposal to install jammers in the prisons across the State to check use of mobile phones by prisoners has hit a major roadblock.
A demonstration given by at least four companies at Cherlapally prison recently, showed that though the jail was spread across 42 acres and the coverage of the jammers was required to cover the entire jail, all it could cover was between 40 to 50 metres.
According to prison officials, companies like ECIL, Bharat Electronics Limited and Kerala Electronics Corporation Limited recently gave a demonstration in Cherlapally jail.
The jail authorities have decided to install jammers at Cherlapally jail as a pilot project before extending it to other jails in the State.
“The main problem was that the jammers could cover a radius of not more than 50 metres. But Cherlapally jail is spread over 42 acres,’’ officials said.
Besides, the other major problem was that the jammers were not able to block the signals of some mobile service providers.
“The jammer belonging to various companies have been designed in such a manner that they can only block signals of a particular service provider. In one case, we found that the signals of Idea network users could not be blocked,’’ Additional Inspector General (Jails) P Narasimha Reddy told Express.
Before the project is implemented, the jail authorities wanted the manufacturers to come forward and demonstrate the efficacy. Though they gave demonstrations twice, prison officials were not convinced. Moreover, when the company representatives were asked for a solution, they could not come up with one.
Though the prison officials had earlier decided to have jammers covering only the barracks, they dropped it as there was all possibility of prisoners using mobile phones at other places within the jail premises.
It is learnt that the prison department has once again written to two more companies asking them to give a demonstration of their product.
‘‘Our idea is to put an end to the problem and therefore we are looking at jammers which can cover the entire prison,’’ Narasimha Reddy added.
Officials claimed that instances of prisoners using mobile phones from inside jails in Andhra Pradesh is far less when compared to Bihar, Delhi and Gujarat.