The living conditions at the Hindalga Central Prison were unhygienic and the jail needed a complete overhaul, remarked Karnataka State Human Rights Commission (KSHRC) member C.G. Hunagund, after inspecting the facilities there on Friday.
He said there was no proper drinking water facility and the present supply from an open well was unhygienic, due to pollutants draining into the well.
He added that the barrack roofs needed repairs and pointed to the bad state of toilets, the drainage system, and the internal roads. The library also did not have good reading material, he said. Mr. Hunagund was appalled by the quality of food served when an inmate showed him a roti that they eat.
“I may be exaggerating, but I doubt even cattle eating these rotis,” he said.
The KSHRC member, who inspected the barracks and work units, said the government would establish a garment-manufacturing unit within the jail premises at a cost of Rs. 45 lakh.
Machinery and equipment had been installed and operations would commence in the next two months, he said.
He said a senior member among the prisoners had submitted a list of repairs to be taken up, and added that he asked jail authorities to submit a list of works to be taken up, along with a petition on the shortage of jail staff, by Tuesday.
Mr. Hunagund said though the government had sanctioned Rs. 80 lakh for a drinking water project, there was no follow-up action and the amount remained unused.
The executive engineer of the Public Works Department who accompanied him estimated that Rs. 40 lakh would be needed to repair the barrack roofs.
