VISAKHAPATNAM: Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha informed the media that she herself removed her personal assistant Sandhu Jagadish. “Though he had worked as my PA over the last 10 years, I took the decision to sack him following numerous complaints,” she asserted.
She made these comments after inspecting the Visakhapatnam Central Jail on Sunday. Speaking to mediapersons, she attributed the deplorable situation in the jail to the misgovernance of the previous YSRCP dispensation. “We have inspected the places where cell phones were found. Strict action will be taken against the perpetrators. A ganja plant was found inside the jail premises and one of the inmates might have brought the seeds into jail. There are over 1,000 ganja case prisoners inside the jail,” she informed.
Revealing that a detailed investigation is underway to unearth individuals who were linked with ganja supply inside the central prison, she warned that strict action will be initiated against the jail staff who are lethargic in discharge of duties.
Referring to recent protests at the jail by employees and subsequent transfers, the home minister reiterated that they were only transferred and not suspended. “We will shuffle every constable and warder every five years,” she added.
Anitha revealed that the previous Jail Superintendent S Kishore was suspended and a new one has been appointed in his stead. She informed that CCTV cameras will be installed within the next 10 days inside the jail premises.
“We are shifting 200 life prisoners from Visakhapatnam to Rajamahendravaram Central Jail as the number of inmates has been increasing,” she said, adding that the report on mobiles inside the jail incident will be submitted in ten to fifteen days. She mentioned that the department will allocate more staff to the central jail.