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Chandigarh, Feb 13 (IANS) Faced with the problem of crowded jails, Punjab Wednesday approved the setting up of three new ultra-modern high security prisons at Amritsar, Bathinda and Muktsar for housing 5,000 inmates, an official said. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal gave his approval for the jails which will be constructed at a cost of about Rs.300 crore within two years, the official added. Badal asked the jail department to install CCTV cameras, mobile jammers and other security equipment to ensure proper security in the upcoming jails. He also directed that modalities be worked out to ban two-storied construction up to 100 feet from the outer walls of these new jails. The Central Jail Amritsar would be constructed over an area of 49 acres while the Central Jail Bathinda would be built over 38 acres area. Each jail will have a capacity to accommodate 2,000 prisoners while the Muktsar Jail, spread over 25 acres, would accommodate 1,000 inmates, the official said. Major jails in Punjab at Amritsar, Jalandhar and Nabha are holding far more prisoners than their capacity.
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