Telangana budget announces more money but does not pay

Hyderabad: The state Budget had allocated Rs 30 crore to the prisons’ department to procure electronic equipment to beef up surveillance but the money has not been sanctioned.

Following this, prisons’ DG V.K. Singh announced in April that the department would procure gadgets to implement staff-less surveillance technology apart from purchasing X-ray scanners, metal detectors, emergency lighting system, high-power searchlights, cellular emergency lamps.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau, TS prisons have 18 CCTV cameras, 24 metal detectors, 183 walkie talkie sets and 43 VHF sets, which are not sufficient. The CCTV cameras were installed at the three central prisons and women prison.

Mr Singh said that the staff was conducting manual searches at barracks and while inmates were returning from courts. “It is not possible to check each and every barrack or inmate without equipment. Staff from every jail is facing problems due to the lack of equipment and manpower,” he said.

A retired jailer said that except for lack of  manpower and equipment, inmates could not break out of any jail in TS. “Following the previous experiences, we have enhanced the height of jail walls. But, we thoroughly observe movements of staff lest then took advantage of the situation.”

The NCRB said that five prisoners had escaped from TS prisons in 2015 but officials said that was not the case: Two had escaped during court trial and three from police custody. One escape, in 2016, was that of Salauddin, who had killed the tigress Sakhi. He was caught three days later. Besides, staff had been attacked in 2011 by ISI suspects.