To block unauthorised mobile signals and deter criminal coordination from inside the jails, 63 V-Kavach jammers, capable of disrupting 5G and 5GHz Wi-Fi, will be installed in three central jails in the state: Bathinda, New Jail Nabha, and Goindwal, as well as in the high-security zones of ten others. The procurement process is underway, and towers for the jammers are already being constructed.The security revamp also includes procurement of full-body scanners, X-ray tunnel scanners (both large and small), body-worn cameras, floodlights, searchlights, walkie-talkie sets, non-linear junction detectors to detect hidden phones, boom barriers, anti-riot kits, e-carts, and wire mesh in high-security areas. The state’s canine squad will also be expanded, with 32 sniffer dogs being inducted, up from fewer than 10 at present.Currently, Punjab’s prisons house approximately 38,000 inmates, far exceeding the sanctioned capacity of 26,081. To address this, the state is constructing new barracks in nine jails, which will add capacity for over 5,100 prisoners. Of this, around 4,000 spaces are expected to be ready within this financial year. Tenders have been floated by the Punjab Police Housing Corporation for the same.The state is also augmenting manpower, with recruitment underway for 692 personnel, including wardens, matrons, assistant superintendents, and deputy superintendents.This multi-pronged upgrade is one of the most ambitious prison reforms Punjab has allegedly undertaken in recent years.
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