April 18, 2007	Wednesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 29, 1428

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TOBA TEK SINGH, April 17: District and Sessions Court Judge Suhaib Ahmad Rumi has found several security flaws and lack of facilities in the newly-constructed district jail.

During his visit to the jail on the direction of Lahore High Court (LHC), Mr Rumi found the outer wall had yet to be constructed.

In a report sent to the LHC registrar on Tuesday, he said the outer wall should be constructed on a priority basis to minimise the chance of jailbreak.

The report stated the jail administration was under-staffed as against sanctioned strength of 226 posts, only 120 people had been posted and the lack of staff could lead to any eventualities. He added as there was no outer wall around the jail, the re-enforcement of staff was necessary to prevent any attempt of jailbreak.

Mr Rumi stated that there was just one source of electricity supply to the jail and the Faisalabad Electricity Company executive engineer had been directed to submit a feasibility report for another source of energy supply to the jail.

He said the jail had no electric siren to alert the staff in case of any emergency.

The report disclosed that gas supply to the jail had been disconnected as the contractor had not deposited the gas bills and presently wood was being used in the jail kitchen. The report suggested the Punjab inspector general of jails be directed to provide outstanding dues for restoration of gas supply.

Mr Rumi said there was no landline phone facility for the jail and the staff was using wireless local loop phone which was not reliable. He suggested a landline connection of the Pakistan Telecommunications Company Limited should be installed on the jail premises.

He said the jail lacked electric water cooler and the jail superintendent could arrange water facilities for jail inmates and their visitors by contacting non-government organisations.

He said inmates complained that they were being supplied with canal water for drinking. In the report, he said water was dirty and toxic and the jail superintendent admitted that water came directly from the Dabanwala canal. He said even though the superintendent claimed the water was filtered but it was undrinkable.

He said contaminated water could cause breakouts of diarrhoea and dysentery among the inmates and jail staff. In case of epidemics, jail and local police would face difficulties to transfer inmates to the district headquarters hospital. He said water sample of jail had been sent for laboratory testing in Lahore. He said until the report was received, the district coordination officer and the tehsil municipal administration had been asked to arrange two clean water tanks for the jail every day.

Mr Rumi said the Punjab prisoner IG had been advised to construct a shed for visitors immediately. The report stated no permanent doctor had been posted in the jail, so the authority should make a requisition to the Health Department for the posting of a doctor. He said the district coordination officer had been asked to provide 15 beds to the jail hospital.