State women’s commission chief inspects facilities at Amritsar Central Jail

Amritsar, July 16

Chairperson of the Punjab State Commission for Women, Raj Lali Gill, today visited the Amritsar Central Jail to assess the conditions and facilities provided to women prisoners. During her visit, Gill emphasised the importance of regular medical check-ups and provision for legal, medical and educational services for the women inmates. She urged jail officials to continuously inspect and improve these facilities.

Lending an ear to the concerns of women prisoners on issues including prolonged inaction in their cases, Gill said that by requesting for a detailed report to expedite the judicial process, the commission has made it a priority to find solutions to their problems.

She also reviewed the products made by women prisoners, including suits, children’s toys and teddy bears, under the skill development initiative being run by the jail administration to boost the morale of the inmates. “We are committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of women across Punjab, even if they are women prisoners,” she said.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Child Commission, Kanwardeep Singh, directed the jail administration to ensure that all necessary facilities are provided to the children of women prisoners. Currently, there are eight children of women prisoners in the ladies’ ward.

The visit included a thorough inspection of the hospital, kitchen, library and various barracks, as well as a review of the food prepared in the Langar Hall. Gill pointed out a few deficiencies in the hospital equipment and instructed the officials to address them immediately.

The Amritsar Central Jail has a capacity for 260 women prisoners and currently houses 183, including 22 sentenced prisoners, 153 undertrials, five foreigners, a foreign accused and two undertrial foreigners.