Move to seize cell phones from inmates

Move to seize cell phones from inmates

6 April 2012

statesman news service
SILIGURI, 6 APRIL: After 250-300 cell phones were confiscated from inmates of various state correctional homes over the past 10 months, state minister for jails Shankar Chakraborty today admitted that the convicts have been availing the facility with a connivance with some jail employees.
At the inauguration of a guest house for officers of correctional home departments in Siliguri, he said: “We are conducting surprise visits to seize cell phones. We have also decided to introduce modern technologies like close-circuit cameras and jammers to track if anybody was using cell phones.” The minister also inaugurated a 16-bed hospital for inmates of the Siliguri special correctional home and said the state government was planning to set up more hospitals for correctional homes. “We have just inaugurated a 10-bed hospital for female inmates at the correctional home at Balurghat. Work is on to set up a 20-bed hospital for male inmates at Balurghat and a 30-bed hospital at Hooghly,” he said.
Mr Chakrabarty said the jail department had tied up with the Indira Gandhi National Open University for imparting basic and higher education to inmates. “Initially, it will be introduced in the Central correctional homes and will later be introduced to the ones in various districts and sub-divisions,” he said.
North Bengal development minister, Mr Gautam Deb, Siliguri MLA and Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority chairman Rudranath Bhattacharya, inspector-general of north Bengal police, Mr Sanjay Singh, inspector-general of correctional services Ranbir Singh were also present at the programme.