GS Paul
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, February 14
With the intensity of the Covid-19 threat diving down, the convicted prisoners and undertrials, who were released on special parole last year to decongest jails, have been called back.
Negative report must
- Male prisoners have been asked to surrender at the Barnala and Pathankot district jail, whereas female prisoners at Malerkotla sub-jail
- It is mandatory for all to bring along negative Covid report received within three days preceding the surrender
- They will be quarantined for four days and Covid samples will be collected on fifth day. After their negative report, they will be transferred to their respective prisons
The state government has decided not to further extend the parole, granted between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2020, to approximately 6,000 prisoners.
The process would be done in a phased manner starting from February 17. A first-out-first-in mechanism would be followed, which means prisoners who have availed the longest period of parole would report back first.
The male prisoners would surrender at the district jail Barnala and Pathankot, whereas the female prisoners at sub-jail Malerkotla along with a mandatory negative Covid test report (RT-PCR only) received within three days preceding the surrender.
ADGP (Prisons) PK Sinha said three locations — district jail Barnala and the subjails at Pathankot and Malerkotla — had been designated as their primary destination where they would be examined by the health authorities.
They would be quarantined for four days, including the day of surrender, and Covid samples would be collected on the fifth day. Subsequent to their negative report, they would be transferred to their respective prisons. However, the prisoners above 60 years and those with chronic co-morbidities would be taken back in the last batch of parole returnees.
If any prisoner already tested positive prior to the surrender, he would have to report on the 18th day from the date of result with the prior permission of the jail superintendent.
A schedule for return of around 650-700 prisoners in one batch every 9-10 days has been circulated to all jail authorities concerned. This schedule shall not apply to prisoners released on parole in 2021, who shall return to the respective special jails as and when their parole period expires.
Amritsar Central Jail Superintendent Arshdeep Singh Gill said 530 convicted prisoners, including 50 women, were granted parole last year.
“The males will surrender at sub-jail Pathankot, whereas females at sub-jail Malerkotla where they will be checked by health teams. Only those inmates will be shifted to jail whose Covid-19 test is negative. Landing here, they will be quarantined in the specific barracks earmarked for quarantine purpose. We have prepared special barracks to accommodate 336 persons at a time safely,” he added.
Covid parole ends, 6K told to return
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