Uttarakhand jails overcrowded, reveals RTI query

Hindustan Times: Dehradun: Friday, February 02, 2018.

Information provided by inspector general of police (prisons) PVK Prasad states that a total of 4,815 inmates are lodged in the 11 jails in the state that have combined capacity to house only 3,378 prisoners.

Most of the jails in Uttarakhand are overcrowded, a Right to Information (RTI) query has revealed.

Information provided under the RTI by state inspector general of police (prison) PVK Prasad, states that a total of 4,815 inmates are lodged in the 11 jails in the state that have combined capacity to house only 3,378 prisoners.

The numbers of prisoners housed in the jails, especially in the ones that are located in the plains are high, the RTI query has revealed.

The district jail in Dehradun has 1,169 inmates against the capacity of 580 inmates and under trails, the query has revealed.

The Haldwani jail in Nainital is worse when it comes to stuffing more inmates than its strength, it said.

Haldwani jail has a space to accommodate 260 inmates but it has 804 inmates, almost three times more than it should have. Haridwar jail is no better where 1190 inmates are staying. The jail has a capacity to house only 840 inmates.

The Roorkee jail where dreaded criminals from western Uttar Pradesh, are lodged, has a capacity to house 244 prisoners but there are 364 inmates incarcerated in the jail.

“Only three jails, including the ones in Tehri, Chamoli and Sampoornanand are open jails that fulfill the criteria in accommodating inmates or under trails according to the available space” said Nadimuddin, an activist, who filed the RTI petition.

According to the information provided under the RTI Act, 51 prisoners are housed in the open jail, which has a capacity to house 300 inmates.

Similarly, the Chamoli jail has capacity to house 169 inmates but there are 78 prisoners housed in the jail, the RTI query has reveled.

The Tehri jail houses 103 prisoners where it has a capacity to house 150 inmates.

The state jail authorities will review the situation of Dehradun and Haridwar jails to see whether some inmates need to be shifted to other prisons or not, said Prasad.

“Both the jails house more than 500 inmates each,” he said.

Out of the 13 districts in the state, only seven have jails. There are no jails in Pithoragarh, Bageshwar, Champawat, Rudraprayag and Uttarkashi districts.