Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, June 20: Minister for Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, Law and Justice Abdul Haq today said the all jails of the State will be connected through online with the districts by the end of July as a part of e-prisons project.
Abdul Haq said this during a meeting convened to review the progress of e-prisons project in the State. The meeting was attended by Director General Prisons, Secretary IT, CEO JAKeGA IT Department and representatives of executing agency-BIPS system Ltd.
The Minister directed the officials to remove bottle necks in the implementation of the project so that project can be completed on time. He set the deadline of July 20 to the executing agency for completing the project. The officials assured the Minister that all the jails will be connected with districts by the set deadline.
The Minister said the project will help the Prison Department to better manage day to day activities happening in all prisons across the State and will also act as essential tools for ensuring that the human rights of the prisoners are upheld by ensuring timely hearings of the inmates in respective courts through video conferencing. He said earlier it would be very difficult to shift a prisoner from one part of the State to another for appearance in court but with the implementation of the project, the inmate can be presented before the court through video conferencing
He said the implementation of e-prisons project will bring transparency in the system with precise implementation of the set rules and laws and will also provide a platform for networking amongst jails.
Abdul Haq said the Government will also install phones in jails so that prisoners can talk to their families in presence of jail officials. Officials informed the Minister that tenders will be issued soon.