A decision to this effect was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal regarding the jail administration in the state here late last evening.

Badal asked the senior jail officers to initiate measures to tone up jail administration in an effective manner to avoid unruly incidents like the one that had recently happened in Jalandhar Central Jail. He said in order to meet new challenges, the jail administration requires immediate reforms in terms of ensuring basic requirements, like fresh and clean drinking water, flush system in toilets, sewerage, tubewells and water tanks.

The Chief Minister also directed the Finance Department to release Rs 11 crore immediately for providing these facilities, beside Rs 25 lakh for repairing the damage caused by the inmates in the Jalandhar jail.

Regarding overcrowding in most of the jails, Badal said the Punjab government had already announced the construction of new jails in Faridkot and Kapurthala, and these would accommodate about 3,000 prisoners.