Fund paucity impairs Sajiwa and Lambulane jails

By A Staff Reporter

IMPHAL | Nov 20

The government has not sanction any fund from April for the functioning of the Manipur Central Jail, Sajiwa and Imphal Central Jail, Old Lambulane claimed Manipur Central Jail superintendent, W. Phanilphang.

Speaking to media persons during a visit today to both the jails organised by All Manipur Working Journalist Union, the superintendent said as the fund is not released from April the construction of the two new blocks which has already completed almost 75 percent has been halted.

The prisoner capacity of the jail is 720 but currently a total of 807 inmates are in the jail so construction works of the two block need to be finished very soon, he added.

Phanilphang said as the fund is not released for almost eight months the jail authority has been facing a lot of difficulties in maintenance. “As there is no option we have to manage on credit system and sometimes we have to spend from our own pocket,” he added.       

The Manipur Central Jail, Sajiwa has a total strength of 222 staffs and currently there are 807 inmates.

Among the 807 inmates 62 are convicted prisoners, 49 National Security Act prisoners, 454 under trial prisoners (non-extremist), 137 under trail prisoners (extremist) and 105 under trial prisoners (drug addict).

There are a total of 22 foreigners inmates serving in the jail, among them 16 are convicted prisoners and six are under trail prisoners.

Interacting with the media team, some of the prisoners said they are satisfied with the kind of food served to them by the jail authorities. However the water supplied to the inmates is unhygienic, they said, adding the inmates have raised demand for more vocational training programme to the authority concerned.

The prisoners who were convicted as life-imprisonment appealed to the government to give them opportunity of premature release like in the past. On the other hand some of the foreigner prisoners who claimed themselves as ‘Rohingya Muslim’ said that they were convicted for only six months but they have been serving in the prison for almost six years.

They appealed to the government to take up necessaries action so as to release them and to keep them in a refugee camp as their families have all shifted from Myanmar owing to the recent mass exodus.

And for the Imphal Central Jail, Old Lambulane there are currently only 37 inmates out of them five are convicted male prisoners, two convicted female prisoners and the remaining 30 are female under trial prisoners.

All the prisoners are satisfied with the treatment given to them and they also appealed to add more vocational programmes.

The buildings of both the jails are in dilapidated condition.