Eight months on, petrol pump to be run by Ferozepur jail inmates yet to get operational

The petrol pump, part of the state government’s Ujala fuels scheme, is being established in collaboration with the Indian Oil. Apart from Ferozepur, such petrol pumps are coming up at 11 other locations, including Gurdaspur, Muktsar, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Sangrur, Ropar and Sangrur. The ones at Ropar, Ludhiana and Hoshiarpur have already been inaugurated and are in operation.

Eight months after its inauguration, the petrol pump set up by the Ferozepur central jail is yet to get operational, owing to lack of an official go-ahead to get it running.

Eight months after its inauguration, the petrol pump set up by the Ferozepur central jail is yet to get operational, owing to lack of an official go-ahead to get it running. (HT File)

The petrol pump, part of the state government’s Ujala fuels scheme, is being established in collaboration with the Indian Oil. Apart from Ferozepur, such petrol pumps are coming up at 11 other locations, including Gurdaspur, Muktsar, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Sangrur, Ropar and Sangrur. The ones at Ropar, Ludhiana and Hoshiarpur have already been inaugurated and are in operation.

As per the proposal, the Indian Oil company pays the monthly rent for the land on which the petrol pump is established and also provides employment to inmates with good conduct or those who have been released from the jail, especially women, under the rehabilitation scheme.

The rent of the pump site and commission from the sale of fuel is to be spent on the welfare of inmates and jails, on the pattern of Telangana.

When contacted Ferozepur central jail superintendent Gurnam Lal acknowledged that the entire infrastructure to run the pump is ready and the report has been sent to higher officials but they haven’t got orders to run the pump.

“The authorities concerned need to get such welfare projects functional at the earliest,” said Ricky Sharma, a city-based entrepreneur.