‘Overcrowded’ central jail not to accept new inmates till Oct 31
The overcrowded Ludhiana jail will not accept new inmates until October 31; police must send them to Goindwal jail, 110 km away, due to staff and space issues.
The “overcrowded” central jail will not accept new inmates till October 31, officials said and added that police have been asked to send the arrested accused to the Goindwal Central Jail.
According to jail officials, it has become tough to accommodate inmates amid warm weather conditions.
They added that they will start accepting inmates after the weather becomes comparatively colder. The police personnel, however, were irked by the decision as they will have to travel nearly 110 km to reach the Goindwal jail.
Although the Ludhiana jail has a capacity of 3,200 inmates, it currently houses nearly 4,700 prisoners. Officials said that as there are only 110 guards to deal with the inmates, they are struggling in deterring smuggling of mobile and contraband.
According to Ludhiana jail superintendent Shivraj Singh Nandgarh, they are already reeling under a staff crunch and it is getting tougher to accommodate any more inmates. The warm weather is adding woes to the problems, he said.
“The step will help us create balance. Moreover, some of the inmates will be bailed out by October 31 and we will be able to accept new inmates,” said the superintendent.
“We have sent the communication to the police in Ludhiana city, Khanna, Ludhiana rural and other districts regarding the decision,” he added.
Seeking anonymity, a police official said they are forced to travel for more than 110 km to reach the Goindwal jail in wake of the decision. The official said they sometimes get late as they need to get a medical examination done for the inmates.