CUTTACK: Despite being one of the biggest prisons in the state, severe staff crunch and inefficiency of the existing manpower at the Choudwar Circle Jail has been affecting its overall functionality with incidents of jailbreak and violence among inmates becoming a frequent affair.
As per sources, over 40 per cent staff positions in the jail are lying vacant for a long time. In such a situation, negligence and inefficient staff have only worsened the issue, making the prison a hub for notorious activities. Against the sanctioned post of 118 warders, around 45 posts are lying vacant at present. The prison currently has 1,034 inmates, including 34 females.
Warders play a vital role in keeping a tab on the prisoners’ activities. The shortage has made it difficult for the jail authorities in maintaining security inside the prison. The jail has four watch towers, 20 cells of three blocks in high security ward and 24 wards of three blocks in general wards, all being managed by just 73 warders.
As per the norm, at least three to six warders are required to monitor each cell of the high security ward having capacity to accommodate one, three or five prisoners depending on their criminal background and behaviour. However, owing to the warder shortage, jail authorities have entrusted just one warder for each cell of the high security ward. Sources said sometimes the situation is such that there are no warders at all to watch a cell.
Similar situation has been occurring in case of the watch towers too. At least 24 warders are required for the four watch towers to perform duty on shift or rotational basis. However, since number of warders is less, it has also been affecting the functioning of the watch towers.
Meanwhile, a post each of assistant jailor and sub-assistant jailor is also lying vacant, hampering the supervision works in the jail.
Not only this, the jail does not even have adequate CCTV cameras. Only 198 CCTV cameras have been set up on the premises of the jail, which is situated on a sprawling 25 acre land. There are certain sensitive places which do not have any CCTV camera at all.
The recent jailbreak incident in which two UTPs escaped amid Dussehra celebrations despite heightened security is a glaring example of the existing loopholes in jail administration. In another incident, argument between two UTPs escalated into a clash, leaving one of them with critical head injuries. No complaint was lodged until police intervened.
For the jailbreak incident, police could not ascertain the movement of the UTPs due to shortage of CCTV cameras. Sources said, at least 40 more CCTV cameras are required to cover the entire jail campus.
Effort to elicit response from director general of Prisons and Correctional Services Susant Kumar Nath on the issue proved futile.
