First Punjab jail to get the facility

First Punjab jail to get the facility
Central Jail inmates to pump iron at gymnasium
Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, August 4
After launching a number of development projects for the city, the government has now loosened its purse-strings for the upgradation of the Bathinda Central Jail.
Taking a step in this direction, Baljeet Singh Bir Behman, the Mayor of Bathinda, along with leaders of the ruling SAD, inaugurated a dental clinic, gymnasium and a library at the Central Jail, here today.
As per the jail authorities, the dental chair would be the second in the state, after Sangrur, while it would be the first jail in Punjab to have gymnasium facilities. Meanwhile, installation of CCTV cameras is also in the pipeline. 
Accepting the demands of the Central Jail authorities during his recent visit on April 21 this year, chief minister Parkash Singh Badal had allocated grants for these facilities from his discretionary funds and from the Punjab Police Housing Corporation funds.
Further, the department has an amount of Rs 2 lakh for installing a tubewell in the jail. But now, the jail authorities have floated a demand for installing a reverse osmosis (RO) water system, and the amount received would be adjusted accordingly.
Giving details of the projects, jail superintendent L.S. Jakhar said besides these facilities, the jail had received nine computers for its inmates. A laptop for the jail superintendent was also in the list.
To introduce computer courses, the jail authorities would contact the Punjab Technical University (PTU), which would offer courses to the prisoners. The jail had also received Rs 37 lakh for sanitation and electrical fittings, Jakhar informed.
To tackle the problem of overcrowding, the jail would have double-storeyed barracks in September and it would help in accomodating 200 more prisoners. It may be mentioned that at present, the jail has a capacity for housing 622 inmates but the actual number is above 1300.
It may be mentioned that the introduction of these facilities has also ended speculations regarding the shifting of the Central Jail to Bathinda-Badal road.