Jharsuguda: Various problems have besotted the local sub jail here with prisoners numbering more than twice its prescribed number being housed in the prison.
According to sources, there are 312 inmates including male, female convicts and undertrials against the prescribed capacity of 146 ones.
Apart from the spill-over problem, another major issue that the sub jail suffers from is the fact that 90 per cent of the inmates here are known faces whose quich entry and exits have become a regular affair.
A majority of prisoners belong to rival gangs who know one another. This often results in frequent face-offs between inmates over issues like shortage of food, living space and other facilities.
The sub jail established in 1991 has five big cells and two special cells to accommodate 146 prisoners. However, 312 inmates are being packed into these cells.
Though the problems were taken up with the higher-ups in 2013, no step has been taken in this regard.
Denying allegations that inmates have fights over food and living space, Urmila Minz, superintendent, said even as there are too many people being housed here, they are given required food items.
Sources added that there were 299 male and 13 female prisoners and undertrials against the prescribed 139 male and 7 females inmates. 12 male and one female were said to be serving sentences and six were lifers. The sub jail has one doctor, 13 male warders and two female warders, it added. PNN
