BHUBANESWAR: Faced with acute shortage of warders, the Directorate of Prisons in Odisha is in a Catch 22 position as the Finance department has turned down its proposal for creating additional posts of warding staff and asked the jail authorities to fill up the vacancies first.
The State has 91 jails with a sanctioned strength of 1,872 warders, including 235 chief, 226 female and 1,411 male, of which 32, 13 and 303 posts respectively are lying vacant. While 1,524 people are in position leaving 348 posts vacant till April 30, the vacancy in 87 jails stood at 324 prompting the directorate to move the Odisha Sub-ordinate Staff Selection Commission (OSSSC) for recruitment.
Though the OSSSC was urged to start recruitment of 292 warders (as per the vacancy position on August 31 last year) on priority basis, the agency has sought more time for recruitment of jail warders. Adding to the headache of the jail authorities, the Finance department has rejected the proposal for creation of additional 1,599 posts of guarding staff.
A senior jail official said the proposal was submitted following increase of prison population and confinement of many hardcore criminals in different jails as limited men in position are finding it difficult to guard the overcrowded jails.
“Even as several escape bids by prisoners have been foiled, staff crunch has affected strengthening of prison security for proper watch and ward duties to prevent any untoward incident,” he said. The jail superintendents have also been facing immense difficulties in shifting of sick prisoners to outside hospitals in absence of the adequate staff.
Principal Secretary of Finance department Ashok Meena said the directorate has been advised to fill up the vacant posts before moving for creation of additional posts. “If the recruitment is not done on time, the new posts will also remain vacant inviting bad reputation for the government,” he added.
Vacancy position
26 posts in Cuttack circle jail
18 in Berhampur
13 each in Baripada, Sambalpur and Rourkela
11 in Koraput
10 each in Keonjhar and Puri
9 in Balangir
7 in Balasore and Kashipur