Now, lockdown in five jails in Pune, Mumbai & Thane

PUNE: The state prisons department enforced a lockdown from Tuesday evening in Yerawada central jail in Pune, besides, the Arthur Road and Byculla jails in Mumbai, and the Thane and Kalyan jails in Thane district considering the rising number of Covid-19 cases in these districts.
Additional director-general of police (prisons) Sunil Ramanand told TOI, “No prisoner has so far tested positive for Covid-19, but the lockdown enforced is a preventive measure.No one will be allowed to move in and out of these jails while the prison superintendents and their staffers will stay inside and will be allowed to go out only for emergency situation.”

He said, “The jails in Aurangabad and Nashik have also been kept on watch because several cases of coronavirus have been reported from the two cities. The other state jails will function as usual. Undertrial prisoners will be released on interim bail as per orders received from the courts.”
Ramanand said, “We got the lockdown idea from the measures implemented by the Pune Municipal Corporation. Pune, Mumbai, Thane and Kalyan are badly affected by Covid-19 infection and we decided to enforce the lockdown to ensure that the virus does not spread in the jails.”
He said, “We have closed the main gates of the prisons. If the jails are locked, no one will be allowed entry inside. Ingress and exit should be controlled. We want minimum employees to work. For instance, in Yerawada jail, 60 people will work in shifts. The administration work will continue as usual.”
Ramanand said, “Maintaining social distancing is a huge challenge considering that the jails are crowded by 200% or more of their capacities. We are restraining movements and the lockdown will continue till further orders. We have made arrangements of food and essential supplies of stocks of three months in the jails.”
The prisons department is awaiting notification from the disaster management department empowering jail superintendents to release convicts on emergency parole.