DHENKANAL: Lack of community participation, shortage of staff, fund crunch and tardy progress of development works have affected health care and creation of self employment opportunities in Dhenkanal district jail. At present, the jail houses around 243 prisoners including convicts and Maoists. But basic health care eludes the inmates. Most of them are suffering from malaria. One prisoner died of brain malaria in the absence of timely medical intervention in August. Even free medicines under ‘panchabyadhi scheme’ are not provided from district headquarters hospital, alleged inmates. These apart all prisoners are not provided with mosquito nets. Though testing equipment are there these are lying unused in the absence of technicians thus delaying the process of diagnosis.
When government is making tall claims about jail reforms, no such initiative has been undertaken successfully in this jail. Sources said though some prisoners were trained on stitching, tailoring and automobile engineering, but they did not get jobs after they were through with their training. So the training they were imparted has gone futile, prisoners rued before a team which visited the jail recently. Apart from these, shortage of staff has curtailed the services provided to inmates. Official sources said, as many as five posts in different categories in the jail are lying vacant.
Though Government has sanctioned about Rs 89 lakhs for water supply, sanitation, repair works and other related development works, the pace of execution is tardy. There is no facility for stitching of dress materials on the jail campus.
Some buildings on the jail premises have been declared unsafe but these still remain unattended for years. The staff quarters are lying in a dilapidated condition without any boundary walls. Prisoners alleged that automobile and motor binding training which were imparted to them have no practical application. After completing the training, most of the prisoners are virtually sitting idle, they alleged.
A team headed by Prof Biraja K. Tripathy has suggested the jail authorities to create self employment opportunities for inmates.