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UP to jam jailbirds' cellphones

The Uttar Pradesh government will install an electronic jammer system in five sensitive jails of the state to check the use of cellular phones by criminals.

Talking to newspersons here yesterday, state Jail Minister Shivpratap Shukla said the system would jam the operation of cellular phones to ensure criminals did not have access to the outside world.

In the first stage, this system would be installed in Agra, Bareily, Naini and Lucknow jails. Reports of misuse of cellphones had come from these jails where top criminals were lodged.

Asked what was being done to improve prison conditions, he said yoga classes were being made compulsory in all state jails with trained yoga practitioners and established yoga centres being called on.

Shukla said the use of wood for cooking would be stopped in 35 jails. Hereafter, LPG will be used, he said, adding that money had already been released for the purpose.

He said a bio-gas system relying on sewer gas would meet electricity needs within the jails.

Shukla said a committee under the presidentship of the chief secretary would try and redress the lack of co-ordination between the police and the jail employees. This panel was to study the problems of jails and suggest reforms.

In reply to a question, Shukla said there were 6,000 convicts in UP jails though there were 45,000 undertrials and so all the barracks were overcrowded.

Although the rules specify that there should be only 60 to 65 prisoners in one barrack, there were 150 to 160 prisoners in each of them.

On the plus side, he said, various social organisations had provided fans and television sets in every room in these jails, thus saving the government a lot of money, he said.

Shukla said the government has also decided to shift out nine jails situated in cities. The respective divisional commissioners had been asked to submit their report in this regard.

In reply to another question, he said the number of women prisoners had increased. Most of the cases related to dowry deaths or harassment, he said.

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