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ShareAhmedabad, Ahmedabad: Amid pay cuts and layoffs in the country, the Sabarmati jail has mooted a proposal to increase the wages paid to the inmates for which it will soon send a request to the central government. Also on the anvil is a new mineral water plant on the jail premises.
In an affidavit filed in the high court on Monday, IG (prisons) Keshav Kumar said a proposal for increasing the amount would be sent to the government soon.
However, the application will be sent only after a survey, being carried out nationally, is completed.
Presently the jail authorities pay Rs16 for unskilled workers, Rs18 for semi-skilled and Rs20 for the skilled workers on a daily basis.
The prisoners get this amount apart from the boarding, lodging, clothing and medical facilities availed by them.
The affidavit mentions that the amount paid currently to prisoners is more than that what they get in other states. In Andhra Pradesh, Rs15 is paid to skilled and Rs10 to unskilled workers.Similarly, in Rajasthan the figures are Rs11 and Rs9 respectively.
While in Haryana, it is Rs16 and Rs10 respectively. Apart from that, the affidavit states that a proposal of Rs1 crore has been sent to the government for providing mineral water to the prisoners.
The new mineral water plant will be in addition to the existing 12 water-coolers and 12 water purifiers installed in the jail. Another project for providing warm water during winters has also been mooted to the government.
Doctors are scared to visit prison
After the recent prisoners' attack on Sabarmati jail staff, the Civil hospital doctors are scared to go to the jail to treat the jailbirds until their safety is assured. Sources said the doctors have written letters to the commissioner and the secretary of health department to set up one 'doctor cell' in the jail as in the past too prisoners had attacked doctors and teased lady doctors.Assistant professor in the orthopaedic department, Dr KG Sanandia said prisoners had on many occasions escaped from police custody while being shifted to hospitals for check-up. "Now that they cannot get out of jail for medical treatment chances are they may attack doctors," Sanandia added.
