14 prisons to get mobile phone jammers by March next year

Aiming to curb criminal activities carried out from jails using mobile phones, Haryana Police on Friday decided to install mobile phone jammers at 14 prisons throughout the 19 districts in the next four months.

In the first phase, jammers would installed in districts near to the national Capital including Gurgaon and Faridabad. Currently the state has 21 districts, and 19 of them have operational prisons.

The construction work of prisons at Rewari and Panipat is in the process. “It was a long-standing demand of our police force. It would be helpful in preventing crime operated from jails,” said Parminder Rai, Haryana DG (Prisons).

The Electronics Corporation of India Ltd. (ECIL), sourced from Hyderabad, has planned to spend around Rs 6 crore on this project. These jammers will be Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) approved models. The contract of these jammers will first be experimented in the prisons of Haryana followed by the prisons in Delhi and NCR. 

The Vertical Interaction Programme is being supported by the India Vision Foundation Group. “The reform is an ongoing process with the training process for prisoners including suggestions from inmates, prison officials and its staff,” said Rai. A proposal has also been sent to the government to sort out issues of salary discrepancy of the inmates and police officials of the prisons. According to the DG, as many as 19 prisons in different districts are under construction in the state including those in Panipat and Rewari. Moreover, in Panchkula and Fatehabad districts, the process of land acquisition is in talks.

Cashless facility is also being introduced in the prisons, except in Panipat, Rewari and Palwal, said Rai. According to the facility, the inmates can purchase any product using his or her thumb impression and can also avail the balance in his account. 

“Another important issue was about the rehabilitation of inmates in state prisons that is being carried out through the process of training given to them. The training is a sign of independence so that they can serve themselves without being involved in crimes,” Rai added. 

For instance, the interlocking tiles in Yamuna Nagar, furniture making in Ambala, biscuits and chocolates making in Sirsa and Bhiwani and bakery works are among the vocational trainings that are being given to the prisoners. 

The children of the female inmates below the age of six will be provided with the much needed nursery education.