State govt plans new district jails amid overcrowding woes

Vijayawada: Expressing serious concern over overcrowding in major prisons across Andhra Pradesh, home minister Vangalapudi Anitha on Tuesday directed prison department officials to immediately prepare a comprehensive action plan to reduce pressure on jails and strengthen prison administration.During a high-level review meeting held at the secretariat in Amaravati, the minister specifically highlighted the overcrowded conditions in Rajamahendravaram and Visakhapatnam prisons. She instructed officials to identify non-functional jails that could be renovated and reopened to accommodate inmates and ease congestion in existing facilities.Officials informed the minister that Andhra Pradesh currently has 106 prisons, including 25 non-functional jails. Anita directed the department to prepare a detailed report on unused prison facilities and examine how they could be utilised for prison-related activities. She also called for proposals to establish district jails in newly formed districts with the long-term objective of ensuring every district has its own jail facility.The minister sought a detailed report on the demolition of the Bheemunipatnam jail and asked officials to explore restoration proposals for the non-functional Chintapalli jail using ITDA funds.Focusing on prison reforms, Anita directed officials to formulate plans for rehabilitation and de-addiction centres, psychiatric counselling for inmates, and skill development programmes aimed at reforming prisoners. She also stressed strict monitoring of parole prisoners and stronger measures to prevent the misuse of mobile phones inside prisons.The home minister further ordered officials to implement measures to prevent suicides in jails and stop videos from prisons from leaking onto social media. She asked the department to prepare both short-term and long-term prison reform plans based on standard operating procedures.