Punjab Vidhan Sabha panel reviews inmate welfare in Ludhiana jails.

Ludhiana: The Punjab Legislative Assembly's committee on the welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Backward Classes conducted a thorough inspection of Ludhiana's Central Jail, Borstal Jail, and Women's Jail on Friday.Jagraon MLA Sarvjit Kaur Manuke who is also committee chairperson, along with MLAs Jasbir Singh Sandhu (Amritsar West), Amit Ratan (Bathinda Rural), Jagseer Singh (Bhucho), Nachhatar Pal (Nawanshahr), Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal (Phagwara) and Dalbir Singh Tong (Baba Bakala) inspected the facilities.
During the inspection, the committee listened to the problems of prisoners and undertrial detainees. The prisoners complained about not receiving mercy (remission/parole) for a long time. On this, chairperson Manuke assured that she would take this matter to chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann so that an appropriate decision could be made.The committee inspected the jail barracks, kitchen, food arrangements, toilets, cleanliness, and other facilities. They also tasted the food being served inside the facilities, emphasising upon cleanliness. The members visited the jail hospital and gathered information on OPD clinic, HIV treatment, TB treatment, and counselling services. The committee stressed the need for adequate washrooms for prisoners, regular cleaning, and maintenance.Additionally, the panel also inspected vocational training units such as bakery, welding, powerloom, weaving, woodworking, and tailoring. The members reviewed the CCTV control room and recreational facilities. Officials provided information about on-going ITI courses for prisoners. The committee members also met the small children staying in the jail and encouraged them to study.