Chandigarh: The Punjab Government would appoint 24 new Assistant Superintendent Prisons (ASPs) soon to streamline the functioning of the Jails in the state.

A decision to this effect has been taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal regarding the Jail administration in the state here late last evening, an official spokesman said here today. Badal asked the Senior Jail Officers to initiate measures to tone up the Jail Administration in an effective manner to avoid such unruly incidents that had recently happened in Jalandhar Central Jail.

He said that in order to meet with the new challenges efficaciously, the Jail administration requires immediate Jail reforms in terms of ensuring basic requirements in jails like fresh and clean drinking water, flush system in toilets, sewerage, Tube well and water tanks. The Chief Minister has also directed the finance department to release Rs 11 crore immediately for providing these facilities to the Inmates beside Rs 25 lac for the repair work of the damage caused by the inmates rampage in Jalandhar Jail.

Regarding the over crowding in most of the Jails Badal said that Punjab Government had already announced the construction of new Jails at Faridkot and Kapurthala to substitute Jalandhar and faridkot Jails. These Jails would accommodate about 3000 prisoners, plans had been finalized to complete these jails by the beginning of 2009.

Source : PTI