LAHORE, Jan 13: Jails in the Punjab are collecting around Rs 900,000 per annum from the labour lease of prisoners for production of 19 types of products.

The value of products being produced in 12 jails of the Punjab exceeded Rs 11 million during the last six months of year 2000 but came down to over Rs8 million during the first six months of year 2001.

The industrial production in the provincial jails fell further due to the suspension of the manufacture of exportable goods like carpets and footballs after the destruction of the Trade Towers in the United States which caused disruption in exports of the same. The production of the exportable commodities is being resumed now in view of the change in the international situation.

Industrialists consider the production units in jails a safe haven for investment as the prison labour comes far cheaper than the open market industrial force. They pay only Rs 24 for stitching two footballs and Rs 40 for 12 lines of carpet knots in a day. Prison labour lease charges for other kind of works is also a fraction of the wages demanded by the workers in the open market.

The industrialists also prefer setting up manufacturing units in jails because there is no fear of labour unrest there. They are also saved from implementation of the labour laws in jails as the prisoners are not covered by the definition of industrial workers.

Prisoners working in the industrial units in jails were not paid anything in the beginning but they are now being paid Rs 10 for a day.

Carpets,‘durees’, furniture, iron cots, blankets, bed sheets, warden uniforms,‘nawar’,‘munj mats’, prisoner ‘durees’, ‘chaddars’,towels, jute mats, phenyle, leather, embroidery, sewing, knitting products and footballs are being produced in jails at Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Lahore, Mianwali, Bahawalpur, Sahiwal, Multan, Jhelum, Dera Ghazi Khan and Sialkot.

TRAINING: The Punjab government has decided to start a programme for jail staff to train it in human rights.