BHUBANESWAR: For women inmates of Special Jail, Jharpada, disposal of sanitary napkins would no more be a headaches for, the Directorate of Prison and Correctional Services has installed an incinerator for their convenience.Jharpada Jail has a total of 829 inmates, including 23 under-trial women prisoners. Most of the female inmates are provided sanitary pads under government schemes but disposal has been a problem.
Under the new Jail Manual, the Prison administration adopted the measure that is in sync with menstrual hygiene needs of women.“In the first phase, the Special Jail has been equipped with the sanitary napkin incinerator and if it turns out to be productive, similar facility will be provided in other jails of Odisha,” said Director General of Prisons and Director Correctional Services, Santosh Kumar Upadhyay.
The machine has been installed at the female ward enclosure of the jail. It was purchased at a cost of about Rs 12,000 and can burn a maximum of 25 napkins per day. A prescribed scale of daily use products like toothpaste, soaps, sanitary napkins, and other items of different jails has been approved by the State government. Jail officials procure the products locally for inmates every month.
However, women inmates of other jails are still forced to dispose of the napkins in dustbins. Upadhyay said, a need was felt to provide sanitary napkin incinerators in jails following which the machine was installed in Jharpada on a trial basis.In Odisha, there are 86 jails which include an exclusive prison for women in Sambalpur. The total number of female inmates is in the range of 300 to 400.
Jharpada Jail has also placed order for eight solar water heating systems before Odisha Renewable Energy Development Agency (OREDA).“Order for five 500 litre solar water heating systems and three 200 litre systems have been placed. The systems are expected to be delivered by the agency within next two to three months,” said an official of Jharpada jail.
Four solar water heating systems having capacity of 200 litre each were installed in Circle Jail, Berhampur, recently.The systems were procured from the profits earned out of the jail canteen and have been installed in the hospital, kitchen, convicts and female wards, said the official.
The new Odisha Model Jail Manual 2020 which was formulated after 78 years has mandated prison administrations to ensure prisoners’ right is respected, establish proper pre and antenatal care, creche and nursery school in jails among other reform measures.