Tweam Herald
PANJIM: The Goa Human Rights Commission (GHRC) has recommended urgent repairs for the dilapidated Central Jail building at Colvale, along with a fresh coat of paint for the premises. The new Central Jail building was inaugurated in May 2015.
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A 10-member team from the GHRC visited the Central Jail to promote awareness of human rights for inmates during incarceration, resulting in a total of 13 recommendations.
The Commission discovered that toilets in both the male and female blocks lacked doors, thereby violating the inmates’ human right to privacy and recommended addressing this issue. It also urged the authorities to take immediate action to improve hygienic conditions, as the sewage system was in poor condition, causing an unpleasant smell on the premises.
The Commission has called on the prison administration to ensure that at least one female medical officer is posted in the jail, in addition to one male and one female nurse, following requests from inmates. Additionally, the jail authorities have been asked to make the non-functional hospital block operational as soon as possible.
Women undertrials complained that, when first brought in by the police, they are not allowed to bring their own clothes. The police have been advised to allow women undertrials to bring their clothes when entering the jail for the first time. The jail administration has also been asked to provide undertrials with adequate clothing to preserve their human dignity.
The Commission has urged the jail authorities to address the general complaint regarding a lack of police escorts for presenting undertrials in court and for those needing medical attention. The undertrials voiced their concerns about the shortage of police escorts for court hearings and expressed their desire to attend court hearings in person to better instruct their advocates.
The GHRC has requested jail authorities to address the complaint from several foreign inmates that their requests for visas are delayed in reaching their respective embassies. The Commission also recommended looking into the issue of foreign nationals remaining in jail after acquittal or after serving their sentences.
It recommended that jail authorities expedite the installation of an ISD (International Subscriber Dialling) facility to allow foreign inmates to communicate with their families. It also suggested the installation of mobile jammers within the jail premises to prevent the use of mobile phones by inmates.
The jail administration has further been asked to speed up the installation of water coolers, provide facilities for hot water, and take swift action to address the mosquito problem by installing window nets.
The report will be forwarded to the Inspector General of Prisons for necessary follow-up, with an action taken report expected within the next 60 days.
The delegation included acting GHRC Chairperson Desmond D’Costa, Member Pramod V Kamat, Secretary Biju R Naik, Under Secretary Anita S Bhosle, Section Officer Umesh N Desai, Legal Assistant Nitesh N Ambekar, and other staff.
