Bhadrak: Even as Covid-19 is spreading its tentacles across the state, overcrowding in Bhadrak sub-jail has become a cause of concern for the jail authorities.
It is learnt that the jail has accommodated inmates twice its capacity, a report said.
Meanwhile, the jail authorities have decided to shift some of its inmates elsewhere while others are to be sent on parole. Fears of Covid-19 transmission have gripped the inmates.
Some inmates alleged that the state government was not taking concrete steps to ward off infections.
However, given the situation, the authorities have made some provision for the kin of the inmates under which the latter cannot meet the inmates directly inside the jails.
Relatives can talk with their inmates through video conferencing. The jail set up in 1955 has nine rooms for 166 inmates. However, the prison has accommodated 431 inmates.
Among them are 30 women and four children. The overcrowding at this time contravenes the social distancing norms. Although a new jail has been proposed, it has not been executed due to administrative apathy.
When asked about the failure in implementation of the Covid manual by the jail inmates, jail superintendent Rishinath Nayak said a proposal has been sent to the higher authorities to shift some of the inmates to other jails to reduce overcrowding here while 16 inmates will be given parole.
“Use of face masks and sanitiser has been prioritized inside the jail while the jail premises are cleaned and sanitised routinely,” he added.
PNN
