Attachment phobia' grips Telangana prisons

Hyderabad: ‘Attachment’ phobia has gripped all prison department staffers.
The prisons’ department has been frequently sending staff to other districts on attachment as punishment for minor errors.

As the government’s ban on transfers is on senior officials have been transferring staff on ‘attachment’, which is said to be a kind of temporary transfer or deputation.

At present 17 DSPs, nearly 50 jailors and deputy jailors and about 50 warders and other staff are working in other districts on attachment. The attachments are being changed frequently.

A tailor from Chanchalguda Central Prison was sent to all prisons across the state for not delivering cloth to a high official. An official source from Sangareddy prison told DC that recently one jailor and a deputy jailor were transferred to Devarakonda and Warangal jails.

“The reason was very minor. The jailor joined a month ago and the deputy jailor came to the jail two months ago. During a recent visit of prisons’ DG V.K. Singh to the Sangareddy prison he asked all prisoners who came within three months to come forward. He asked them that whether they had been given education under the Vidyadanam programme or not. They replied that they were being taught. He asked them to read a Telugu newspaper and all the 10 failed. Pointing out to the jailor and deputy jailor who was not present in the prison three months back he attached them to other districts,” the source said.

Similarly, other staffers were also transferred to other districts on attachment. Now, an attachment phobia has gripped all staffers in the department and they are worried about the future of their children.

When DC approached prisons’ DIG A. Narsimhulu, he said the attachments were made for administrative convenience. All staff on attachment will be sent to their own places by April,” he said.

Many suffering due to attachment
Santhosh Rai, a DSP from Cherlapally Central Prison, was sent to Sangareddy district jail on attachment in August 2014. Later, he was sent to the Warangal Central Prison, then Sangareddy, the Hyderabad Central Prison (Oct. 2015) and was again attached to Sangareddy prison from January 2016.

Another DSP from Mahbubnagar, Bhaskar was attached to the Cherlapally prison in September 2014. Later, he was sent to Warangal (Nov. 2014) and Nizamabad (June 2015). Many jailors, deputy jailors and warders are also suffering due to attachments.

Since then he has been working with the Nizamabad prison and his family is staying at Mahbubnagar to educate his children. Mr Sampath, a DSP from the Warangal Central Prison is working at Mahbubnagar on attachment.

Similarly, Karimnagar DSP Ramachander is working at Khammam. Hyderabad Central Prison DSP Srinivas is at Khammam and other DSPs are also working at other places on attachment. Many jailors, deputy jailors, warders and other staff are also suffering due to attachments in the prisons' department.