Arthur Road jail’s new mantra to beat the heat

Inmates receive three water coolers inside their barracks; Tin sheds put up to offer shade for visiting relatives Now, when people visit Arthur Road jail to meet their imprisoned relatives or friends, they won’t have to stand under the scorching sun, but

As Mumbai sizzles with high temperature, the prison department has made certain arrangements inside and outside Arthur Road jail for prisoners as well as their visiting relatives to beat the heat.

Now a person visiting Arthur Road jail to meet his imprisoned relatives/friends will not have to stand under the scorching sun as a tinshed has been put up adjacent to the prison wall where the visitors can sit and wait till their turn comes.

“The mercury is soaring day-by-day in the city, so an arrangement has been made to give a little relief to (inmates’) visitors who earlier had to stand under the scorching sun. Now the visitors thank us for providing a tinshed that will also be protective during monsoon season. Also, for visitors, a drinking water tank has been kept under the tin-shed,” said a prison staff.

A Non-Government Organisation (NGO) has given three water-coolers to Arthur Road jail where the inmates can now drink filtered cold water. “The inmates had been complaining that drinking water becomes hot with the surge in temperature as the water storage tank was affected by the scorching sun. So, with the help of an NGO we have installed three water coolers for inmates to provide them some respite from suffering,” said the superintendent Arthur Road jail Harshad Ahirrao.

Though judges, dieticians, doctors and NGO staff regularly visit jails to inspect the condition of jail and inmates too. The prisoners often complain of being served food lacking freshness. Recently the NGO has given 48 hotpots for preserving food cooked for inmates at the jail.

Ahirrao said the meeting room at Arthur Road jail has been revamped and doubled to 26 rooms now. “Previously there were only 13 rooms where the relatives and friends of inmates could meet. It was very much hodgepodge and time consuming. Now the visitors can meet inmates at ‘26 interview rooms’ and it is also saving the time of our prison staff,” Ahirrao said.

The facility of intercom discussion between the inmates and their relatives have been made at the rooms where they can talk for permissible 20 minutes. They can also see each other clearly as the glass-wall between inmates and their relatives are being regularly cleaned.