Coronavirus in Bihar: Muzaffarpur jail inmates make khadi masks

PATNA: Amid reports of scarcity in the open market, the inmates of Bihar jails have started manufacturing face masks of khadi on their premises only as a step to contain the spread of coronavirus.
With assistance and encouragement from the prisons department, the inmates, especially at Shaheed Khudiram Bose central jail at Muzaffarpur, are manufacturing more than 500 such masks a day.
When contacted, jail superintendent Rajeev Kumar Singh told TOI over phone that the masks being manufactured inside the jail were being supplied for use by others lodged in different jails in the state. “Presently, the inmates here are manufacturing double-layer masks. The average production cost is Rs6.5 only,” he said, adding even the khadi is woven by inmates themselves.
Singh said the masks produced in Muzaffarpur jail had been supplied to jails in four different districts. “Our inmates had supplied 200 masks to district jail in Sitamarhi, 500 to district jail in Begusarai, 150 to sub-divisional jail at Dalsinghsarai in Samastipur district and 500 more masks to district jail at Madhubani in the last few days,” he said.
In reply to a query, he also said as there is a garment industry functional inside the jail for the last several decades, inmates did not require any especial training to start production of masks.
“At any required time, we can start producing three-layer masks with tissue papers in between for more effectiveness,” he said.
Meanwhile, IG (prisons and correctional services) Mithilesh Mishra told TOI that the superintendent himself had come up with the idea. “At present, such production has started in jails at Gopalganj, Purnia and Gaya also. There are several other jails, including at Muzaffarpur, which produce phenyl and soaps. All these items are being supplied internally to maintain hygiene among prisoners and on jail premises,” Mishra said.
He said the present capacity of all jails in Bihar are around 43,000 inmates against which 40,000 inmates were lodged at present. “Orders had already been issued to maintain hygiene and procure necessary items wherever required. Most of the requirements are fulfilled from inmates,” he said.
Mishra said even before the present scenario, orders were issued for rationalizing overcrowding of inmates. “Few jails have inmates more than their capacity. They are being shifted regularly under the process,” the IG added.